High School--The Real Hunger Games
by katierosefun
Summary: The scariest Hunger Games is easily high school and Katniss Everdeen is about to be thrown into a whirlwind of drama and etc. She's already faced eanough problems, including the popular cliques and principal Snow, but when she falls in love with her classmate Peeta, she and Gale must find a new way of survival for thier friendship.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, fellow Hunger Games fans! :) It is I, the awesometasteaful and super bubbly KATIEROSEFUN! (Or, you can call me other things, but we'll get to that later. :)) So, this is my story, in which I will present to you the scariest Hunger Games that has ever been recorded...kind of. HIGH SCHOOL. Ok, so I guess I know what you're thinking. There's been tons of stories like this before, I think. But I'm just going to cross my fingers and hope that you readers will appreciate my work anyways. ) So, thanks for checking out this story, and don't forget to review! No hater comments please! :) Luv ya bunches, katierosefun 3**

Chapter 1.

Katniss—

High school. What's more terrifying than that?

I took a deep breath as I walked through the doors of the high school where I would be whisked into hallways and classrooms filled with other victims such as me. I had a flip-flopping feeling in my stomach as I walked to my homeroom. I automatically groaned as my eyes scanned the classroom. Of course, I was stuck with the worst classmates ever.

At the far side of the classroom, right next to the clear glass windows, was the ever-so popular posse that created fear from everyone…or created admiration from everyone.

I do not admire them. Whatsoever.

Glimmer, Clove, Cato, and Marvel were laughing by the sill, pointing out at students who, in their opinion, are pathetic excuses for human beings. I felt my jaw clench as Glimmer looked at me and whispered something in Clove's ear. Clove burst out laughing and she shot me a smirk. I felt my face heat up and looked down at my hands.

'So it begins', I mused to myself. The awful feeling of embarrassment began creeping up on me again as Clove shot me another smirk.

"Tough day so far?" My heart leaps with joy when I turn around. Gale Hawthorne was looking down at me, grinning teasingly. "Please." I say. "It's barely begun." Gale sat down in the seat next to me. "It'll get better." He told me reassuringly. I rolled my eyes. "Right, because high school is all about things becoming positive." I say sarcastically. Gale bumped me on the shoulder. "That's the spirit!" He said with the equal amount of sarcasm in his voice. We began laughing and we didn't bother stopping until the teacher came in the room. "Take your seats." She says and there was a temporary moment of chair shifting and students yelling at one another to sit by them. "Quickly, quickly." The teacher chided. The noise just became louder until everyone found their seats…except for Glimmer, Clove, Cato, and Marvel. "You four, why can't you find a seat?" The teacher asked sharply. Glimmer put a hand on her hip and said, "Well, you see, there aren't many good seats for us…" The teacher raised an eyebrow. "There are many empty seats." She said coldly and gestured around the room. Glimmer popped something in her mouth and I saw a rubbery blue substance in her mouth which I assume is gum. "Yeah, well, I mean there aren't any good seats for _us_." She circled around her little group. "Maybe the other kids will be alright with this place," Glimmer looked around the classroom and smirked. "But it's definitely not suitable for us." The teacher raised an eyebrow. She walked over to Glimmer and said, "It does not matter if these seats are suitable for you or not. Right now, I'm thinking the place suitable for you is detention." Gale shot me an excited look and I grinned. This was just about to get interesting.

Glimmer's face turned pink and she cleared her throat. The teacher pointed at the empty seats behind Gale and me. "You four. Get into those seats right now." I groaned inwardly as they sullenly filed into the seats behind us. Cato sat behind Gale while Glimmer sat behind me. Behind Glimmer was Clove, and behind Cato sat Marvel. Gale sighed to me and I could almost hear his voice in my head.

Gale: _I hate this._

Me: _I hate it more._

Gale managed to grin before Cato flicked him in the ear. Gale winced and turned around. He gave Cato his best glower but Cato pretended to examine his nails. Gale turned back around and let out an annoyed puff of breath.

"Looks like someone has been at the thrift shop lately." Glimmer whispered in my ear. I flushed and glared at her. Glimmer slathered on some lipstick and pouted at me. "Too bad for you." She said in false sympathy. I felt my face flush again. "Is there a problem back there?" The teacher asks us. Glimmer shoots her a sweet smile. "No, everything here is fine." She chirped. 'Give me your definition of 'fine'.' I thought bitterly to myself. Our teacher wrote her name on the board. "My name is Mrs. Birch." She says delicately. "I plan on being a good homeroom teacher for all of you, but I will not tolerate any snarky attitude, bullying, late assignments, et cetera." Mrs. Birch began handing out our class schedules. I glanced at mine and felt my heart float a little. Gale and I had the same classes. Maybe today won't be so bad, after all.

Right, because high school, again, is all about making things become positive.

•◊•

"You know what I can never understand?" I say under my breath as we file into our seats for history class. "What?" Gale muttered. I put my books on my desk and sat down. "I don't understand why they bother teaching us all of this stuff if it's not going to be, well, USEFUL for us in the future." I say. Gale grinned. "That's an excuse for you to stop education altogether, right?" He says teasingly. I rolled my eyes and grimaced. "But it's true! Think about it, I mean, people should be teaching us how to push away dimwits and morons like _them,_" I shoved my chin out at Glimmer and Cato, who, _yay_, were also in this class. "Instead, what do we do? We have to learn about stupid Rome and Greece." I finished and slumped back, satisfied with my argument. Gale opened his textbook and said lightly, "Rome and Greece were actually great empires that are admired and looked upon to start a civilization." I groaned and shut my eyes. "Well, none of us are going to start a civilization, I know that for sure." I snorted. Gale let out a whoosh of breath and he glanced at me smugly. "Maybe YOU won't, but I will." He said loftily. I began laughing and punched him on the shoulder. "Right." I say sarcastically. Gale shrugged and turned back to his textbook. I twiddled with my thumbs and stared into space while the history teacher began talking while Gale sat there, rapt with attention and taking notes as furiously as he could. I rolled my eyes and sighed.

Sure, Gale was amazing and fun and the best friend anyone could wish for, but of course, he was always paying attention to his studies when he can. He doesn't like it much, but he's always preparing for his life. He needs to focus on what life has stored for him, and other mumbo jumbo like that. Of course, Gale was mischievous, reckless, and sometimes the most stubborn person in the universe, but that's what I liked about him.

Besides, he's the only one who can take in my temper and have the courage to strike it back at me, which is just what I need sometimes.

I was just about to doze off when the door creaked open and a boy with blond hair peeked in. The teacher raised an eyebrow as the boy walked in and I felt my heart clench. Why was he here? Why, of all people, was he here?

"Sorry I'm late." The boy said apologetically and handed the teacher a pass. The teacher pointed to a seat next to Gale. "Sit there." He said stiffly and returned to the board. The boy nodded and walked over hesitantly to Gale. I took in a sharp intake of breath as the boy flicked a glance at me. He gave me a shy smile and sat down.

I closed my eyes, trying to keep myself calm. 'Don't look up.' I thought to myself. 'Don't you DARE look up.' Of course, I looked up and faced those bright blue eyes that the boy had. His eyes crinkled as he grinned playfully and I felt a flush crawling up my cheeks. I looked back down and cursed at myself.

I guess I should begin explaining why exactly I'm acting like some sissy who can't even look at a boy in the eye.

Peeta Mellark had been a classmate of mine for the longest time. I can't ever explain it. Every year, he's in one of my classes, or he and I always end up being together for school projects. Of course, Gale was always in every single one of my classes, but that was understandable because well, Gale was my friend. But Peeta? I barely know that kid. I guess he and I are on neutral terms, but ever since last year, I've noticed how my voice shook slightly around him, and how sometimes my heart would skip a little beat as though it was doing some sort of tap dance, and epically failing. I didn't want to believe it at first, but it was true. I liked Peeta Mellark.

I don't know exactly WHY I liked him. Maybe it was the way how his eyes jumped out at me, or maybe it was the way how he smiled, or laughed, or how he talked. I guess I just felt…safe around him. I don't know.

"Katniss, are you copying this down?" The teacher called up from his desk. I turned red as the class began snickering. "I will." I replied shortly and flipped open my notebook. I shot a glare at the back of Peeta's head. Why did he have to distract me?! Of course, it wasn't his fault, but honestly, why did he have to just BE there? I groaned inwardly and started on writing down the notes that were scrawled all over the board. The bell rang and I was rescued from complete boredom and the noise of scratching pencils.

"That was intense." Gale told me as we walked to our lockers. I shot him a look. "How was that intense? I found that extremely boring." I say with a huff. Gale raised an eyebrow at me and began laughing. "Maybe if you paid any attention to the class, you would find the lesson a bit more interesting." He told me. I rolled my eyes. "Please." I snort. "The only faintly interesting thing that happened today was Peeta coming in late." Gale pressed his lips tight together and looked down at me sharply. "Why would you say that?" He asked. I felt my cheeks flush. "What? All I said is that it was interesting that he came in late." I say. Gale sighed, disgusted and went over to his locker. I shot him a questioning look but he ignored me. 'Fine, give me the cold shoulder.' I thought snottily and opened up my locker.

Gale's locker was fairly close to mine, because we were organized by our last names. Just three lockers to the left from mine would be Gale's. I smiled to myself, thanking heaven that I wouldn't be completely alone.

The good feeling didn't last for long and the locker next to mine opened. "Well, well, well, if it isn't for Katniss Everdeen." A cold voice says from behind me. I felt my heart sink and turned around to look at Glimmer and Clove's sneering faces. "Glimmer." I say shortly, trying to fight the urge to scream. "What do you want?" Glimmer flipped her hair. "I want a lot of things, Katniss, but right now, I think I want you to move out of my way." She said and dabbed on some lip gloss. I rolled my eyes. "Glimmer, I'm not remotely close to your locker and trust me, I wouldn't want to come near it anyways." I snapped back at her. Glimmer raised an eyebrow and sneered. "Just go see a psychologist, why don't you." She says and looks at her reflection. I felt as though someone was kicking me in the chest. I clenched my hands, trying VERY HARD not to slap that girl silly. "Why don't you go see one?" I say angrily. Glimmer brushed her hair-honestly, it doesn't DO anything, her hair looks EXACTLY the same-and shoots me a sly glare. "Mm, I don't really need one, and I don't want to see one." She said and put the brush back. I grit my teeth, feeling annoyance and anger boiling in my veins. Thankfully, Gale came up from behind me just in time before I could smash Glimmer into a Glimmer-sized pancake. "Glimmer, get lost." Gale says swiftly and he leads me to our next class. I lost my cool the second we were out of ear shot from Glimmer. "Gah!" I screamed. "What is the matter with that b-" Gale slapped a hand over my mouth before I could let loose all of the words that popped into my head. "Relax, Katniss." Gale hissed at me. "Do you really want to be in detention on the first day of school?" I grit my teeth. "Gale, I can't stand her! Everywhere I go, she's in my face, trying to make me feel like a big pile of crap!" I say indignantly. Gale rolled his eyes. "Katniss, quit being such a drama queen and ignore it, like you usually do." He says. I crossed my arms and pouted. "I am NOT being a drama queen." I say stoutly. Gale had the nerve to crack a smile. "Suit yourself." He says and the rest of the class walked in. Our teacher, who called himself Mr. Baker, began droning on about the fascinating world of mathematics and how it will affect our future life. I translated this message into a way of saying, _this lesson will bore you to tears but you will have to listen because if you don't, you are making a very bad mistake._

Grudgingly and reluctantly, I took down the notes and began listening to the lesson. By the time the class ended, I wanted absolutely nothing to do with equations and variables and exponents.

"I can't wait for this school day to end." I groaned as I picked up my books from my locker. Gale raised an eyebrow. "Why would that be?" He asked, closing his locker. I sighed. "Isn't it obvious?" I ask. Gale shrugged. "Come on, you, we've only got another class until break." He said and tugged me along. I sat down next to him and I felt a familiar heart-skipping feeling in my chest again. 'Oh my god, Katniss, don't think about it.' I thought to myself. I looked up, ready to copy down anything that the teacher had written onto the board when I realized that I was looking straight up at Peeta's face. He smiled shyly at me. "Is this seat taken?" He asked quietly, pointing to the seat that was on the other side of me. I felt Gale stiffen next to me. I force myself to grin. "Nah, that seat isn't taken." I say cheerfully. Peeta thanked me and plopped down beside me. Gale nudged me on the shoulder and hissed, "What is he doing here?" I shrugged. "Gale, it's fine." I say. Gale stood up. "Forget it." He said flatly and walked off to another desk. I cocked my head, wondering what the hell I did wrong. He glowered at me and didn't say anything to me for the rest of the lesson.


	2. Chapter 2

**HI! Sorry for the wait, but I was caught up in final exams, with the ending of the school year and all. You know, I find it really ironic, how I'm writing about the beginning of high school when real school is ending. (Well, for me it is. I don't know much about other countries and their education system, so sorry if you are offended by that comment.) Anyways, for some reason my story isn't showing up in the search engine so if someone can explain to me why that is, I would be ever-so grateful. :) Oh yeah, one last thing: I was listening to this song called 'Echo' by Jason Walker while I was writing this chapter, and I want you guys all to listen to it. I just think it's such an awesome song and it's sad that Jason Walker isn't famous, he really should be. :) Tell me how you think of the song, if you want to. On that note, please please please review! Feedback is welcomed here, just no hater comments, they will be deleted. Luv ya bunches, katierosefun. XOXO**

Chapter 2.

Gale—

Screw this.

I really couldn't stand it any longer and I was at the point where I was going to let loose all of the anger inside of me, but I decided to keep it in.

Besides, Katniss would probably laugh it off. She'd probably tell me that it's all in my mind, that I'm taking everything a bit too seriously.

I'm NOT taking this too seriously. If Katniss thinks that I'm being a jerk and stuff, then fine by me, she can go have a lovely day with her new friend Peeta. I'll bet that she'll be suited just FINE with him.

"What's the matter with you?" Katniss bumps my shoulder and breaks me out of my thoughts. I scowl down at her. "Nothing." I say stubbornly. Katniss rolled her eyes. "You're horrible at lying." She says. I shrugged her off. "It's fine." I say. Katniss sighed. "Really, Gale? Come on, your little outburst kind of clues me in that you're ticked off at me." I opened my locker and pushed all of my books in there. "Why don't you ask Peeta?" I ask coldly. Katniss' mouth dropped open and she quickly shut it. "What's THAT supposed to mean?" She asks incredulously. "I don't know!" I say gruffly. Katniss muttered something under her breath and said, "Look, Gale, I have no idea what the hell you're talking about, but drop it. It's the first day of school, and I would like to have a good start." With that, she left for her locker. I watched her leave and banged my head against the cool metal of my locker door.

What just happened?! I moaned inwardly and tried to keep my composure as I walked towards Katniss' locker. "Sorry." I say sheepishly. Katniss looked up at me and punched me on the shoulder. "What the hell, man." She says and shakes her head. I smiled. Katniss stuck out her tongue at me teasingly and whispered, "You really are a jerk, you know that?" I laughed. "Please, Katniss, that's the thing that I take pride in." I replied. Katniss shrugged cheerfully and put her books back in the locker. "Half of the school day is over." She told me when she closed her locker. "Let's see, we've had a fight with the vicious populars, we went over a mini-fight about 'relationships', so what's next?" She asks. I grinned and tousled her hair. "Just think of it as a sample of the high school life that you'll be having for the next months." I say. Katniss squinted at me and whacked my hand away from her hair. "Well, then, I hate samples." She said loftily and we headed to the cafeteria for our lunch break.

She walked in front of me and I watched her braid gently bob up and down her back. I smiled to myself. Katniss and I had been friends for a while now, and I always looked at her as a little sister…until now.

Well, that would be a lie.

I liked her the second I laid eyes on her. She was the cool, tomboy kind of girl, and she wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty. She wasn't afraid to tell someone to shut up, although that only happened with guys. Around girls, she told me that she knows that girls are manipulative. I remember raising an eyebrow and saying, "Aren't you a girl?" She had tossed her head back laughing and said, "I guess so, but I just always feel…apart from them, you know?" I nodded. "We all know how girls are mean, horrible, and-" Katniss had punched my shoulder. "Just because I said that I feel apart from girls doesn't mean that I'm not a girl." She said teasingly. I had flushed a little but I managed to laugh it off. Not only that, but Katniss was, well, pretty. For some reason, I only noticed that this year. Suddenly, her hair looked soft and nice to touch, and her eyes were piercing and fierce, but in the you know, I'm-going-to-kill-you-if-you-don't-believe-me pretty way. (Call me weird, but there is such a thing of that kind of beauty.)

"Gale, come on." Katniss says to me, poking my shoulder. I snapped out of my thoughts and joined her in the lunch line. "Look who's here." She whispers in a low voice. I looked up and I saw what she was talking about. "It's only the popular kids." I whispered back. Katniss scowled. "Only popular kids, right." She says mockingly. I shrugged. "Why do you hate them so much anyway?" I asked, grabbing a lunch tray. Katniss glared at me. "I don't hate them." She said slowly. "I just don't like how they look at themselves as being above everyone else. Like WE are the ones that we have problems." She snorted. I put down my tray and looked at her in the eye. "Look, I don't really like their attitudes, but there are always going to be people like them in your life. Besides, you aren't exactly nice to them, either." Katniss threw her hands in the air. "I don't want to be nice to them! They make me feel miserable and I KNOW that they like it!" She growled. I rolled my eyes. "Quit being such a drama queen, Katniss." I say as I dumped some food onto my plate. Katniss put her hands on her hips. "I am not being a drama queen." She snapped. "Um, sorry to break it to you, but yes, you are being one." I shot back. Katniss and I paid for our meals and we sat down at a table. She glowered at her sandwich and sighed. "Fine, I guess I'm not being exactly nice to them, but I just…wished that they would treat us…a little better. I mean, they should at least be able to say 'hi' to us or be able to hold a conversation with us without glaring or being annoying." She said. I raised an eyebrow. "What would your definition of 'being annoying' be?" I asked. Katniss shrugged. "Basically, their very existence is annoying." She said coldly. I picked up a fry from my plate and shot it at her. Katniss ducked and glared. "What was that for?" She asked indignantly. I took a bite of my lunch and replied, "You're being annoying." Katniss sighed. "Fair enough." She grumbled. I looked up. "Besides, you're only being harsh towards them because of…you know." I say. As soon as those words escaped my mouth, I regretted them. Katniss looked up sharply and bit her lip. Her eyes were stormy and she looked ready to kill me any second. "Don't. Ever. Talk. About. It." She said in a low, intense voice. I raised my hands in surrender. "I'm just saying, what you did back in those days was pretty bad." I said. 'Idiot.' I thought to myself. 'Quit pushing it.' But Katniss put down her sandwich and grit her teeth. "Well, it was pretty bad." She said softly. "If I could take back that moment and switch it, I would. I would take that chance. But according to them, I'm just…another mistake." With that, she looked down at her meal and didn't say anything else. I pressed my lips tight together. I was mentally kicking myself for bringing that up.

I guess I should explain why on earth Katniss was being so worked up over a couple of words that I said, but I'm not going to say the situation. Not now, anyway.

Even when I talk about it, I feel pretty nasty inside and I want to slap Katniss. And the last time that happened was well….in a while.

We ate the rest of lunch in silence.

•◊•

I worked quietly on my homework while I waited for our teacher to come into the classroom. "Maybe we can get a head start on our social studies homework." I whispered to Katniss hopefully. Katniss rolled her eyes and opened up her notebook. She wasn't entirely forgiving me for what incident I had brought up during lunch, I could tell. I groaned inwardly. I hated it when she got like this. "Katniss, are you still mad at me?" I whined. She glared at me. "Hm…Gale, you're the genius, figure it out." She says waspishly. I flinched. "Fine." I snapped back. "Well, I think you're still mad at me. Is my answer correct?" I asked. Katniss grit her teeth and narrowed her eyes at me. "I want to deny you of every single pathetic word you say, but yeah, you're correct." She muttered. I had the nerve to smile. "At least you can be truthful when it comes to that." I teased. Katniss froze and stared at me. My smile disappeared. "What's wrong?" I asked, worried. Katniss blinked and shook her head. "I just remembered something." She whispered and the teacher walked into the room before I could interrogate her. I blew out a whoosh of air and copied down the notes listlessly.

What the hell was Katniss so upset about?

Honestly, she says that she's 'apart' from girls but to tell you the truth, I think she's just as confusing as normal girls are. I sighed and turned around, just to find that Katniss was talking to Peeta.

_He was in this class?_

I set my mouth into a scowl and turned back to the board. Who the hell did he think he is, anyway? I glared down at my notebook again and wrote with a little more pressure on the next page.

•◊•

"I think this class is the only class that won't make me feel utterly stupid today." Katniss says to me as we enter the gymnasium. I rolled my eyes. "Well, gym is my favorite class, too." I admitted after a second. Katniss rolled her eyes and we all met at the center of the gymnasium, where a gym coach was waiting for us. "Get together, folks!" The gym teacher shouted. Katniss winced and rubbed her ear. "One thing I hate about gym-gym teachers always scream on the top of their lungs." She whispered. I nodded and we all sat down at the center of the gym and awaited instructions. "Today, we won't be doing any exercise, but we will show you around the locker room and thereof." The gym teacher announced. "My name is Miss Fluorine, and I do not tolerate ANY bad behavior, is that understood?" Katniss smirked and whispered, "Yes, sir!" I bit back a snort and looked up at Miss Fluorine, who was frowning down at us. She narrowed her eyes and says, "Is there something that you want to say, young man?" A wave of titters bounced off the walls of the gym. I flushed and shook my head. "Very well." Miss Fluorine says. I gave Katniss a guilty smile and she giggled quietly.

Miss Fluorine waved over another gym teacher, this time a man. "Mr. Randolph here will introduce the boys to the lockers, and I will take the girls." She said. Then, she narrowed her eyes. "Now, I understand that high school is a time for awkward boy-girl relationships." She says quietly and many students turned a bright red color in embarrassment. Miss Fluorine didn't care. "I don't want any _purpling_ going around in this building." She says in that same, intense voice. "What's _purpling_?" A girl asked from the crowd. Miss Fluorine shrugged. "Girls are symbolized with red colors, and boys are symbolized by blue colors. Together, they make purple and I don't want any of that in my gym." She said sternly. A couple of girls began giggling which sent off a bunch of boys to grin goofily. I rolled my eyes. They were so immature.

Of course, I'm not.

Katniss turned to me and stuck out her tongue. I grinned. On that note, Mr. Randolph led us to the downstairs area of the boys locker rooms and we were about to separate and go choose our lockers when someone grabs me by the shoulder. I froze. The hand was strong and I knew just from the touch of it that I had every right to tense up. I turned around. Cato was smirking at me. "Yo." He says in a slow drawl.

"We gotta talk."


	3. Chapter 3

**"Everybody lies, lies lies...it's the only truth sometimes." -'Everybody Lies' by Jason Walker. Sorry, I didn't mean to start off the author's note with such a depressing beginning, but I've been thinking about that song now. (Yes, Jason Walker is also the same singer who made the song 'Echo', if you were reading my last chapter.) So how did you guys think about that song? It's a great song and I listen to it 24/7 now and I promise myself to not break down, but I do anyway 'cause it's such a beautiful song. :) CONNECTION TIME! I want you readers out there to answer this question: If you could take back a single moment in your life to make it right again, would you take it or would you just shrug and move on with life because it's not worth changing? I'm curious to know the answer. Anyways, getting back to the story, I thank ya'll for favoring and following my story, it means a lot to me. My only other request will be please please please PLEASE review, because it makes me want to write more. :) Feedback and criticism is allowed, just please don't write anything harsh or mean to me, because if you have something mean to say, it's not worth saying it. Keep it to yourself. On that note, luv ya bunches! Katierosefun out!**

Chapter 3.

Peeta—

I walked around the gym lockers, knocking at the doors listlessly. "Get out of the way." Marvel says gruffly, pushing me away from a locker. "Sorry." I say apologetically and turned the other way around. I sighed and opened an empty locker. "I'll have this one." I tell the gym teacher and pick out my lock. I swung it around and listened to the faint clanging noise that it made when I put it into the locker. I sighed again and knelt down, trying to blink the tiredness from my eyes.

I couldn't wait for this day to be over.

I really wanted it to end and bury myself in my room, away from everyone. Well, at least one good thing came out of this day.

Katniss smiled to me today. That memory sent a happy feeling through my body, making me give the world a small smile of pleasure that maybe not all of the good things are gone. It's those little things that make me remember that the world isn't so bad. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back.

Katniss Everdeen.

That name sounded so perfect in my mouth and I could savor those words for a long time. She was perfect in her own way, was beautiful in her own way. Katniss was kept to herself, which made me like her even more. Of course, she still talked to everyone. She still managed to breathe in this place. She still has a friend. 'Unlike me.' I think bitterly.

I mean, I have some people at school that I'll sit at lunch and talk to, but they never felt real. They don't know me completely and only look at my cover story. If they tried to dig deeper into my identity, they would find a pathetic guy who still thinks about what it means to live. Pretty deep, right?

It's not that I did something that made me think this way, but what I saw made me think this way. When I was a bit younger, I remember hearing very quiet, very small sobs. I had frozen in my tracks, wondering if someone was hurt or not. Sighing, I had walked a couple of steps back and watched through the crack of a classroom door of a girl in the corner of an empty room, crying. She was curled up in a ball, whimpering words to herself, saying that it was her fault, that she was such an _idiot._ I was about to walk into the room, about to ask her what's wrong, if she wanted help or not. But something stopped me. For a second, the girl lifted her head and I saw her face.

It was Katniss.

And she looked hopeless. I already liked her, and I've been watching her for a long time, trying to work up the courage to even greet her. I always thought that she was fairly strong, and that she had a good life. A good family, a good education, good friends. But I guess there was something behind all of that, because the girl who was crying in front of me…she didn't look like she had a good life. She looked like a little kid who just stepped into the world.

And she hated it.

Katniss buried her head back in her arms, crying again. I was beginning to think that she was crazy when I realized that I wasn't the only one watching her. Someone shifted inside the room and I watched with wide eyes as another boy stepped from the shadows of a corner. He stood up and walked over to Katniss. "Katniss, quit crying." He said in a whisper. "Crying isn't going to do anything for you." I recognized the boy as Gale Hawthorne and I immediately felt a pang of jealousy. I should be the one comforting her, but he's already beat me to it.

"I hate this." Katniss said shakily. Gale had forced a small laugh. "I don't blame you." He says. Katniss looked up, her eyes red from crying. "It's my fault." She says. Gale shrugged. "Everyone makes mistakes." He said easily. Katniss shook her head. "Yes, but can someone make a mistake as big as this one? For all I know, I'm making a mistake right now just SAYING this." Gale shook her head. "Katniss, it'll be fine." He says softly. Katniss pulled away angrily. "That's what SHE said." She says bitterly. "She said that everything will be fine, that I'll be okay soon. That's not TRUE!" Gale had pressed his lips tight together and whispered, "Katniss, fine, it won't be alright. But if you act like this, it'll never be alright. Do you want to think about that the entire time? You have people who care about you, you know. Just because they didn't think you were great anymore doesn't mean that everyone else thinks that about you." Katniss made a little scuffling noise with her boot. "Everybody lies." She says softly. "I can accept that…but why can't they see it?" Gale sighed. "Give them some time." He says. "Time won't heal anything." Katniss answered, still not looking up. Gale picked Katniss up from the floor by the hand and says, "Yeah, but time can give you a chance to think." Katniss had given Gale a small smile and I scurried out of the doorway in case they caught me eavesdropping.

Ever since that particular scene, I've been wondering what the matter with her was. What would break her so much that she would hide from people? What did she do that was so bad that she didn't want to show her face to a person who wants to help her? I don't know.

I opened my eyes again and stood up. There wasn't any point in thinking about it now, but I still looked back it every so often to think about what Katniss meant. I stepped out into the gymnasium and saw that Katniss was sitting on the bleachers, staring down at the ground. I looked around. There were a couple of boys and girls in clumps around the gymnasium, but it was only a few. I turned back to Katniss and walked to her. I took a deep breath and made out, "Hey." Katniss looked up, startled and gave me a smile. "Hi, Peeta." She says softly. I sat down next to her. "What are you doing, looking lonely?" I asked in the most teasing voice possible. "You look depressed sitting alone like that." I was rewarded with a small laugh from Katniss. "So what, are you here to deprive me of that?" She asked. I grinned. "Maybe." I replied. Katniss sighed and stretched out her legs. "Well, Gale isn't here anyway." She says. "I might as well talk to you." I feigned looking hurt. "That stings." I say, pouting. Katniss rolled her eyes and chuckled. "I didn't mean it that way." She says. I smirked. "I know that." I say. Katniss raised an eyebrow at me. "Sure you did." She says loftily. I stretched out my hands. "I did!" I say urgently. Katniss laughed again, tossing her head back. I smiled to myself. It was good to hear her laughing, even if it might be fake.

"Since you gave me a lecture to not look alone, then what about you?" Katniss asks me suddenly. I sighed wearily. "What about that?" I asked, focusing on a smudge on my sneaker. Katniss' face softened. "You're not exactly social, either." She says. I smirked. "You noticed that, huh?" I asked. Katniss nodded. I looked at her. "You promise not to tell anyone?" I asked. Katniss shrugged. "I keep my promises." She replied. "I don't bother making friends anymore." I say tiredly. "If they leave, then what's the point in having them?" Katniss raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" She asks. I hunched my shoulders. "I once read that if you find one real friend, just one, one who accepts you no matter how horrible you are, then you're the happiest person in the world." I say bitterly. "That didn't happen to me yet." Katniss considered my words for a minute and I was surprised to hear her voice coming out in a quiet manner. "I guess I can understand that." She whispered. "But if you stay alone, then you're not going to know if you found your best friend." I looked at her. Her eyes were surprisingly watery and she was blinking furiously. "A simple friend will think that the friendship is over after you guys fight, but a real friend…" She paused and sighed. "This is going to sound stupid." She muttered. I shook my head. "Nah, I'm curious to hear what you mean." I say softly. Katniss gave me a tight smile and finished, "A real friend…will know that the friendship has just begun after you fight." I mulled over those words and said, "Then I guess I should just keep looking for that true friend." Katniss grinned. "Keep looking for that, Peeta." She says.

•◊•

"You're unusually happy today." Mom says to me when she picks me up. I shrugged and buckled myself in the car. "How was school?" Mom asks stiffly after a while. I shrugged again and focused on looking out the window.

Of course, I was pretty happy, but I would rather not talk to my parents about it. My family was okay and decent, but sometimes they just don't see my point of things. I gave up on talking to my parents about my personal life years ago. I watched the maple trees whiz by through the glass and soon we pulled up to our house. I got out quickly and walked to my room the second I was in the house. I started up my computer and began going through my sketches in my documents.

I had gotten this really cool application on my computer where I could basically draw anything with an interactive pen and pad in front of me and I used it every day. I draw pictures of the most important memory and put into my computer. So, in a way, it's like my personal journal…not a diary, if that's what you're thinking.

A DIARY is made up of words. This is more like a journal made up of…pictures.

I took the pen in my hand and twisted it in my fingers. I smiled to myself and started on making the outline of the bleachers in the gym. I perched Katniss on the lower bleacher, with her legs stretched out. I outlined myself, sitting next to her, my hands resting on my lap. I filled in Katniss' chocolate brown hair and concentrated on bringing life into her grey eyes. About two hours later, I had made myself a picture of the scene from earlier today. I nodded, satisfied with my handiwork and saved it into my computer.

"What's that?" My older brother interrupts. I turned around, feeling a flush creeping on my face. "There's such thing as knocking." I say, annoyed. My brother ignored me and squinted at the computer screen behind me. "Wow." He says, amazed. "Nice work, Peeta." I didn't say anything as he looked over my picture again. "Wait…is that _Katniss Everdeen?_" He asks, incredulous. Filled with relief that I had saved my work before, I shut down the computer before he could inspect it any further. "Why the hell is Katniss Everdeen on your computer?" He asked. I felt warmer at the cheeks. "Go away, Kaden." I snapped. Kaden threw a baseball around his hands. "What's the matter with you?" He asks, perching himself on top of my bed. "Do you like her or something?" I snorted. "Or something." I muttered under my breath. Kaden smirked at me. "So you do like her." He says triumphantly. I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, so I like her. What's the matter with that?" I say sharply. Kaden put up his hands in surrender. "No need to go all commando on me, Peeta." He says easily. "I was just wondering." I rolled my eyes. "Great. Now can you leave now?" I say impatiently. Kaden shrugged and threw the baseball in the air. He caught it swiftly and said, "No, I don't really feel like going right now." I blew out a whoosh of air in annoyance. "Then what do you want?" I ask. Kaden began picking at the little stitches in the baseball and said, "Alright, sport. Why do like Katniss?" I balled my hands into fists. "If that's really the only reason why you're here, you can go now." I say harshly. Kaden rolled his eyes. "Come on, Peeta. I'm actually about to give you ADVICE on how to handle the girls, so you might as well listen to me." Kaden replied. I crossed my arms. "You want to give ME advice on how to 'handle girls'?" I ask, narrowing my eyes. "What is that even supposed to mean?" Kaden grinned guiltily. "Ah, well, that topic will be a lesson for next time." He says, flushing. Then, he shook his head. "Peeta, spill it. I'm interested in the first love of my little baby brother's life." He tells me. I scowled at him and then relented. Kaden may be a jerk, and he may tick me off sometimes, but if there was one thing he knew, it was definitely girls.

He's had about seven girlfriends now, and that's only in his middle school and high school years combined. I sighed reluctantly and told him that I've been crushing on Katniss ever since basically, forever when we were in the same middle school.

Kaden was a good listener; I had to give him credit for that.

He winced at the same parts I winced at, he grinned at the good memories, but he totally intervened in the part where I told him how Katniss was crying in middle school. "Wait, hold up. You were eavesdropping?" He says, narrowing his eyes. I grimaced. "Katniss was crying, I didn't know what to do!" I protested. Kaden shook his head. "Whatever, man. Go on." He replies dismissively. I ended the story as to today, when Katniss and I were talking about real friends. Kaden tousled his hair, which was a sign that he was thinking. "Hm…so let's put this together, shall we?" He mumbles under his breath. I looked up. "What do you mean, 'put it together'?" I asked. Kaden shrugged. "What I understand is that first of all, you've liked Katniss for a really long time and secondly, I think I'm beginning to think that Katniss is a little dark." He said slowly. I raised an eyebrow. "Why do you say that?" I asked. Kaden stood up. "Think of it this way, Peeta." He said, his voice unusually soft. "The kid's been crying when she was in middle school, and from the looks of it, I think she was crying because she did something that was out of the ordinary. And suddenly, BOOM, you talk to her about friendship and she gets all weepy and distant, right?" I squinted at Kaden. "She wasn't really weepy or distant." I muttered. "She was more like bitter and…well, she was thinking about it a lot." I added. Kaden threw his hands up in the air. "There you go." He said triumphantly. "She's been pulled out of the world, Peeta, and you've gotta bring her back." I raised an eyebrow again, trying to understand what he was saying. Kaden sighed. "I don't know much about Katniss, but I've heard some things in the high school, not to mention the very things that I hear when Mom and Dad are talking." He whispered. I felt a sudden pang of shock in my heart. "Mom and Dad talk about her?" I asked urgently. "Why would they talk about her?" Kaden snorted. "You never paid attention? Katniss Everdeen…well, she's not exactly likable all the time. She gets into trouble, always pulls some sort of stunt. It's pretty obvious why she would be upset." I felt my teeth grind against each other. "Mom and Dad shouldn't judge her." I say stiffly. Kaden shrugged again. "It's not only Mom and Dad. Tons of parents say things about her." I clenched my fists. "That's stupid." I blurted out. "Having fully grown adults gossiping about a girl half their age…that's disgusting." Kaden watched me carefully. "Hold on, Peeta." He says. "Don't get so riled up now." I felt my cheeks flush as I talked on more about it. "Katniss cried a lot that day, you know?" I say angrily. "She kept saying that it was her fault. No one is helping her by saying mean things about her behind her back." Kaden sighed. "Peeta, look, it's not exactly a good thing for people to gossip, but technically, we're gossiping about her right now." He explained. I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, but am I trashing her?" I shot back. Kaden glared at me. "Mom and Dad never trashed Katniss Everdeen." He said. I jut my chin out and said, "Then what do you want me to do?" Kaden gave me a smile.

It wasn't a nice smile.

"Um, _Kaden?_" I asked uncertainly.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello! ;) so, usually my updates don't come this fast, but it's the weekend now and since summer is approaching, I get out of school earlier, which results into more WRITING TIME! YAY! :) :) Another thing I would like to share: I watched 'Man of Steel' last night and the theater was WAY crowded. That's what you get for coming to watch a movie on opening night, I guess. But anyway, that movie was AWESOME. It wasn't as good as 'Star Trek: Into Darkness', in my opinion, but overall I thought that the movie was brilliantly made and it was EPIC. But that wasn't the point: I WATCHED THE HUNGER GAMES CATCHING FIRE TRAILER and even though I watched it before when it was released and posted onto YouTube, it was SO SUPER EXCITING to watch the Catching Fire trailer on the big screen, you know? I almost screamed and danced in my seat when I saw the trailer. I wonder who's playing as Finnick...*wiggles eyebrows* Btw, some people PM'd me if Finnick would be arriving in this story, and *spoiler alert* yes, he will. ;) Stay tuned for that, my dear readers. Luv ya bunches, katierosefun**

Chapter 4.

Katniss—

"What's the matter with you?" I asked Gale as we walk home. Gale was usually quiet today and it was beginning to get on my nerves. Gale gave me a strained smile. "I'm just thinking, that's all." He says softly. I smirked. "Well, that's dangerous." I say. Gale managed to give me a small chuckle, but in no time he was back to being distant again. I punched Gale on the arm. "Come on, Gale," I whined. "It's getting boring." Gale turned to me and raised an eyebrow. "How does something get boring?" He asks, distracted. I sighed and rolled my eyes. "Gale, you usually talk. What's going on today? Are you mad at me or something?" I ask indignantly. Gale shook his head. "Nah, you didn't do anything." He says. I let out a whoosh of air. "Then tell me why the hell you're giving me the silent treatment, because I'm getting mixed signals here." I say impatiently. Gale sighed. "Cato talked to me today." He said stiffly. I nodded slowly. "He said that we needed to talk about something, something important." I raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Since when did Cato have something to say that was important?" I ask coldly. Gale shrugged. "I was thinking along the same lines but he looked sincere enough so I listened." He replied. I waved away my hand. "Whatever. What did he say?" Gale hesitated for a second. "He told me that…you should watch your back." He said quietly. We both stood there, silent for a minute and then I broke the silence. "Why exactly should I watch for my back again?" I asked. Gale bit his lip. "I don't know," he admitted. "He was really vague about the entire thing." That did it.

I burst out laughing, but it wasn't a cheerful, happy laugh. It was mirthless and cold and sarcastic. "Right." I snorted. "Why doesn't he just put a death threat note on my locker door, too?" I say. Gale raised an eyebrow at me. "Katniss, you of all people should know this, but when Cato says something, he's usually right." He told me. I felt my blood turn into ice and I whipped around at Gale. "He's not always right." I say slowly. "He'll be as wrong as you and me." With that, I spun on my heel and walked away as quickly as I could.

I heard Gale's footsteps run after me. "Katniss, I think you should at least consider his words." He said patiently. "I don't think he means that you're in DANGER or anything, I just think he means that you need to watch out for the people who might be willing to hurt you." I glared down at the pavement and scuffed my boot along the rough edges of the sidewalk. "Gale, I've been watching out for them for a long time now. Cato doesn't know what he's talking about." I say, ice dripping behind every word. Gale put his hands up in surrender. We both walked along quietly and then Gale cracked a smile. "Nice way to start off the high school year, right?" He says sarcastically. I grinned back at him. "Yep." I chirped. "High school will be the happiest years of my life!" Gale began laughing and he pulled at my braid gently. I turned to look at him in the eye and was surprised when his face had…softened. His eyes were gentler somehow, and he was very, very close. I felt a sudden blush come up to my cheeks and I tugged myself away. "Quit being weird Gale." I say quietly and looked down at the sidewalk. Gale cleared his throat and brushed his hands on his jeans. "Right." He says shortly and stood up straight.

We stopped at the front of our houses and Gale waved cheerfully to me and I stepped into my house. I sighed as I hung my coat. Gale would be sending me a message through the window, no doubt. I smiled to myself as I walked up the steps towards my room.

Gale and I lived right next door to each other, and our bedroom windows faced each other so we were able to write messages and show them to each other through the glass. That was always a real treat that I looked forward to. I mean, forget about text messages and phone calls; I have basically Face Time and Instant Messaging right at my window. Just as I was about to enter my room, I heard giggles ensuing from my little sister's room and I grinned.

Prim, my younger sister, was spread out on her bed, talking and laughing with another girl. "Hi, Katniss!" Prim says happily and runs up to hug me. "Hey." I whispered and ruffled her hair. "How was your first day of school?" I asked. Prim smiled. "It was great!" She chirped. "I made a new friend, too." She pointed at the girl on the bed, who waved at me cheerfully. "Her name is Rue, and she's new to the school." Prim explained. I smiled to myself as I said hello to Rue.

Prim. Rue.

The two girls were remarkably alike, besides their appearances. Prim and Rue were two types of flowers that grew in the meadows. They both had the same look of innocence filtering through their wide eyes, and they had the same cheerful smile.

Now, onto their real appearances.

Prim looked almost exactly like my mother. She had the same blond, honey colored hair and bright blue eyes that looked around the world curiously. Prim had those same, slender hands that would be able to bring strength and hope to anyone no matter how upset they were. She didn't look much like me, and sometimes it's hard to believe that she and I are related. I take after my father, so it always raises some eyebrows when I say that Prim is my younger sister. (I have dark hair, she has blond hair. I have olive skin; she is more of the fair, peach colored skin. I have grey eyes; she has blue eyes and etc.)

Rue was the complete opposite of Prim's appearance. Rue had very dark skin, and brown curly hair that were put into pigtails. She was petite for her age and had warm, brown eyes. When she stood up and walked to me, it almost seemed as though her toes weren't touching the ground. She might as well have been levitating over to me.

"It was nice to meet you, Rue." I say as warmly as I could. Rue gave me a wide smile. "Prim told me a lot about you." She says. "She told me that you were amazing." I felt a lump form in my throat and managed to not quietly. I exited the room, leaving the two girls to go on talking.

Another thing you need to know about Prim, I love her more than anything. I've heard of little sisters who were brats and talked on and on and on and never stopped bothering their siblings, but Prim wasn't like that. She was gentle, sweet, smart, kind, and understanding. She cried with me even when she didn't properly know why I was crying. She always looked at the good sides in me, and always chose my side of the fight, even if I was wrong. Even in the tougher days, Prim stood by me and would make me laugh to forget about how bad my day was. I'll do anything to keep her happy, to never allow her to see the harsh parts of life.

I don't think she ever will be able to see the harsh parts of life anyways, because she's always happy. She brings smiles to everyone, no matter how grumpy and sour they were.

I sighed and opened my bedroom door, already perching myself on my bed. Gale was waiting for me through the window. He was scribbling something down and he held it up to me, '_Are you going to do your homework?' _I lifted my writing pad and wrote in big, block letters, '_I have to.' _Gale scowled and wrote back to me, _'Same here. I can't wait for the weekend to come.' _I giggled and held up, '_The school week just started.' _Gale shrugged and stuck out his tongue at me. I laughed and wrote, _'I have to go now. Stupid school.' _Gale raised an eyebrow and then gave me a thumbs-up. I lay back down on my bed and took out some books from my bag, getting to work.

I was in the middle of finishing my math homework when I heard the garage opening and I knew that Mom had come back home. I heard Prim and Rue running downstairs to greet her and I scowled to myself. I would have to go see her, anyway. I waited patiently at the back door and grunted a 'hello' before disappearing back into my room again.

As you can probably tell by now, I'm not exactly fond of my mother. Ever since my dad died, she's been distant and was never the same. For the first two years, she was a ghost living in the past. Sure, she went on with chores, but she didn't smile. She didn't laugh. She didn't interact with us in any way. It was horrible. I was ten when Dad passed away. Prim was around six or seven years old.

During those years, I thought a couple times about how having a ghost of a mother was much worse than having no mother at all. But then, as soon as I turned twelve years old, she came back around again. Relatives began to visit her, as they always had done, but on my birthday, someone told her that she needed to become a true mother again.

And so it happened.

Mom slowly returned to life, and she began to come back to us. Prim was grateful and she was delighted with Mom, but I kept waiting.

I waited for her to clock out again, leave us alone to just become shadows in her life again. I don't want to sound so harsh and cruel, but I never managed to trust my mother completely again. I'm hostile, I can't help it. Once someone leaves me like that, I can't ever guarantee that I'll be the same again. But Mom tries hard, and she tries to make up for it. There are rare times when I allow her to smile at me, and there are even rarer times when I allow her to hug me.

I just needed to give myself and her some time.

'It's always time.' I think bitterly. 'Everyone says that time will heal everything. What idiot made that rule?'

Mom knocked on my bedroom door, snapping me out of my thoughts. I grudgingly opened it up and she stepped in. "How was school?" She asked me, sitting down at my desk. "It was okay." I say shortly back, returning to my textbook. I heard my mother sigh and she said, "You know, my first day of high school wasn't exactly pretty and clean, either." I felt my heart clench but I didn't look up. I heard my mother laughing in disbelief. "I got into a fight with a couple of girls on the very first day. I was off to a pretty bad start." She looked at me and I looked back up at her. She raised an eyebrow and sighed. "It got better, Katniss." She finished and patted me on the shoulder before leaving. I scowled at the seat where she was just sitting and rolled my eyes.

_Whatever…_

•◊•

I collapsed into bed, worn out from all of the reading and writing that I had to do.

Honestly, did teachers really think that homework was more important than sleep?

'At least it's over now.' I think wearily and tossed the covers over my head. I was just about to go to sleep when a flashlight beam crept its way into my room through the blind folds. Moaning, I stood up, got out my marker and pad and opened the blinds. Gale was smirking at me, waving the flashlight around through the dark night. I scowled and took my flashlight. I wrote in large, black letters, '_I'm trying to sleep!' _I flashed my light onto it so he'll read the message. Gale smiled and wrote, _'Relax, Katniss. I was only going to say good night.' _I rolled my eyes and wrote back, '_Good night, go to bed!' _I could see Gale tossing his head back laughing and he wrote, '_Good night Katniss. Sweet dreams.' _I gave him a half-hearted smile and wrote back, _'You too.' _On that note, I closed the blind folds once more and neatly placed my messaging necessities on my desk. I crawled back into bed and sighed. I felt darkness overcome my vision and before long, I was asleep.

And the nightmares were waiting for me.

_I was reading at my desk, avoiding looking at anyone in the eye. I didn't really want to look up at anyone. No, I would very much rather read about how Harry Potter and his friends got to the sorcerer's stone. Suddenly, I heard giggles exactly to the right of me. I grit my teeth and held onto my book tighter, not daring to look up. "Really, she did that?" A horrified whisper came. Another giggle ensued. "I know, right? She's such a freak. You can't trust her." A voice says. My knuckles turned white as I held onto my book tighter. 'Don't think about it, Katniss.' I thought to myself. 'Come on, read about how Harry and Hermione and Ron get past the three-headed dog.' But the giggles got louder and the fantasy in my head of Harry Potter faded away slowly. Now, I was just looking at the empty words, and my ears were straining to listen carefully to the words that the girls were saying a couple feet away from me. _

_"C'mon, maybe she's just sorry. You can't really push her around that badly." _

_"Pssh, yeah right. There's one thing for certain, though. I'm never going to be friends with that freak again!" _

_I felt those words ringing in my ears and I looked up at that girl's green eyes. _

_"Isn't that right, Katniss?" She snarled. _

"Gah!" I woke up and flung the blankets back. My heart was pounding fast and my breath was coming out shallowly. "Don't think about it." I whispered to myself. I looked around. The room was dark and when I glanced at the clock, it was two o'clock in the morning. I pressed myself down into my pillow and shut my eyes tight.

"Don't think about it."

**A/N: If you liked that chapter, please write a review, I would love to know what you guys think so far. :) Feedback and criticism is allowed, just please no hate comments. :) Thank you! **


	5. Chapter 5

**HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO READERS! I am so happy that I'm updating so quickly now! Let's see how long I could keep up updating on a daily basis! I would have updated this chapter a couple of hours ago, but I was busy doing Father Day stuff with um...my father. But before I could go back to having fun with my dad, I took this chance to update my story. RIGHT um, before you read the chapter, I just want to say, please, no hate messages. People who wrote those hate reviews, you know who you are. I don't really appreciate being told that my writing stinks or that I should go die in a hole, because, well, that's just mean. There was this one particular reviewer who wrote, and I quote, 'Your writing doesn't even belong here. Your story is a disgrace to the Hunger Games...you should just give up'. Well, for that person, if you don't have anything nice to say to me, don't say anything. It's much better to say it out loud to yourself than out here. :( Of course, not all of you guys are like that, so if you're one of those NICE AND CONSIDERATE people, then you can just ignore what I said. Keep being awesome, you guys. :) On that note, luv ya bunches! Don't forget to review, feedback is welcome, criticism is alright, JUST NO HATE MESSAGES PLEASE.**

Chapter 5.

Gale—

Beep!

Beep!

Beep!

I groaned, my hand searching for my alarm clock. "I'm up, I'm up!" I snapped at the stupid thing and slammed my hand over it.

Sighing, I swung my legs over my bed and sat up, trying to adjust to the early morning. I opened up my window and frowned. Katniss would usually be up by now, opening her window as well to greet me.

Katniss' blinds were still tightly shut. I shrugged and yawned. Katniss was probably still asleep. She'll be back at her window when I come out of the shower.

I stumbled into the bathroom and turned the water on from the shower. I moaned in satisfaction as the warm water dripped over my face. Reluctantly, I shut off the water and began to work on brushing my hair, which was sticking up in all directions. I managed to pat down my hair into a slightly less tousled look and got dressed for school. I was taking my bag off the hook in my room when I realized that Katniss' window was finally opened.

I grinned and quickly wrote down on my pad, '_You slept in, didn't you?' _Katniss was wiping at her face wearily and she scowled at me. She picked up her pad and wrote in big letters, '_Shut up, Gale. I'll meet you at the front of your house.' _On that note, she closed her window and I thundered down the stairs.

The little ones were already waking and coming out to the kitchen for breakfast.

Well, most of the little ones.

"Where's Rory?" I asked Vick, who was sitting himself down at the table. Vick yawned and mumbled, "Dunno. I think he's in his room changing or something." Posy was setting out the napkins and then she told me in a quiet voice, "He's nervous."

I sighed and walked into Rory's room.

I had three younger siblings, as you could probably tell by now. Rory is the oldest of them, at the age of twelve, Vick was ten, and Posy was the youngest age of four years. I loved them all and would do anything to keep them out of harm's way.

Sure, the boys got a little rowdy sometimes, and it gets a little annoying when Posy is constantly begging me to play dollhouse with her, but hey, they're still kids with childish needs.

I mean, I'm pretty sure I acted that way, but I'm never quite positive.

Rory's door was half way opened and so I stepped in. Rory was on top of his bed, struggling to button up his white dress shirt, which strangely enough, was only worn on special occasions. I frowned and walked up to him. I sat down next to Rory and gave him a nudge. "Whatchya doing, Rory?" I ask cheerfully. Rory looked up, flushed and looked back down. "I'm trying…to wear…this stupid shirt." He mumbled. I raised an eyebrow. "Rory, you do realize that school isn't that much of a special occasion, right?" I say. Rory looked up and smiled guiltily. "I'm trying to impress someone." He muttered.

I couldn't help it. I smiled and asked, "Who are you trying to impress?"

Rory turned bright red and mumbled a name under his breath. I cupped my ear. "Rory, I can't hear you." I say patiently. Rory crossed his arms and pouted. "Primrose Everdeen." He said shortly and threw his hands up. "There. I said it." He snapped. I watched Rory carefully and burst out laughing.

It was ironic, really, how my own little brother is crushing on the little sister of the same exact girl I liked. "Rory, do you really think that Prim will be impressed if you wore a fancy shirt?" I asked softly. Rory looked up. "I don't know." He said hopelessly. "I just really like her and I don't know what to do to get her to like me back." I grinned and began to undo Rory's shirt. "Hey!" He says indignantly and smacked my hand. "I spent twenty minutes trying to button this stupid thing!" I smirked and took off his shirt. I looked through his dresser and tossed him a regular tee. "Rory, are you happy wearing that dress shirt?" I asked carefully as Rory turned over his normal shirt. Rory shook his head. "It's stuffy wearing that thing." He muttered to me and fitted his head through the tee shirt. I smirked.

"Rory, if you want a girl to like you, just be yourself." I say. Rory sighed. "Is that what you do?" He asks me.

I shrugged. "I try to be myself." I replied. Rory gave me a half smile. "You can get girlfriends like _that_," Rory snapped his fingers. I began laughing. "Who says?" I ask. Rory shrugged. "A lot of girls like you. I've overheard some girls from your school talking about how they would love to get their hands-"

I cleared my throat, breaking him off. "Look, Rory, it doesn't matter. As long as you show Prim your true self, she'll like you much better." I say. Rory gave me a hopeful look.

"You think so?" He asks.

I nodded and grinned. "Prim's a smart and nice girl. She'll like you a lot." Rory smiled at me and gave me a hug. "Thanks, Gale." He says. I tousled his hair. "No problem, Rory." I say. "Now, go eat breakfast before you get to school, okay?"

Rory nodded and ran out of his room to join his siblings.

I sighed and looked at the clock. I barely had any time for eating breakfast at home, so I'll just have to eat while walking with Katniss.

I grabbed a yogurt from the fridge and gave my siblings a quick hug and walked out the door.

Katniss was waiting for me, tapping her foot impatiently. "What took you so long?" She asked me. I decided to keep the part about Rory liking Prim to myself. "Rory was having trouble getting ready for school." I said swiftly.

Ok, that wasn't the complete truth, but it's partially correct, right?

I felt a stab of guilt and popped open the yogurt. "Someone forgot to eat breakfast." Katniss smirked at me. I shrugged and ate a spoonful. "I was busy." I replied. Katniss rolled her eyes. I took another spoonful and said through the yogurt, "What about you? You weren't at your window right away." Katniss blinked and I took a proper look at her.

Her eyes were worn out and tired, and I realized that she was walking much slower than usual. Her face was pale and her hair was hastily put into a messy ponytail rather than her signature braid.

"I didn't get enough sleep." She mumbled and hoisted her bag over her shoulder. I raised an eyebrow. "It looks like that." I say. Katniss wiped at her eyes and she muttered, "I had a really bad dream last night." I threw out the yogurt can into a garbage bag and bit my lip.

It wasn't the first time Katniss had these kinds of dreams, but I kept my voice light. "What was it about?" I asked. Katniss sighed.

"It's the same thing again, Gale. Every single time, that moment just keeps replaying in my head and it won't freaking STOP!" Katniss said the last word with a kick at the sidewalk. My eyes widened as she kicked harder. "Katniss, it's fine. They're just nightmares." I say.

Katniss shook her head, breathing heavily from kicking at the sidewalk so hard. "It's not just a nightmare, Gale." She whispered. "I've been having those dreams for so long…I can't just call them _nightmares._"

I chewed at the inside of my cheek, mulling this over.

"I stubbed my toe." Katniss said suddenly, wincing. I smirked at her. "That's what you get from kicking at the ground to death." I say. Katniss gave me a glare and rubbed her foot awkwardly as she walked. I sighed. "The school is just a couple of minutes away." I said conversationally, trying to change the subject.

Katniss nodded and hoisted the bag over her shoulder again. She let out a breath and said wearily, "I want it to end, Gale." She rested her head on my shoulder and I looked down at her, wondering how to react.

I felt a warm, happy feeling fill my chest as she kept her head on my shoulder.

Trying not to smile, I patted Katniss' back.

"It'll be fine." I say softly. Katniss looked up at me and then took her head away.

"Thanks, Gale." She whispered.

•◊•

I felt Katniss stiffen as she walked into homeroom. "Don't think about them, Katniss." I muttered softly into her ear as we took our seats. Katniss nodded jerkily and sat at her desk, right above Glimmer.

She looked down, twiddling her thumbs. In the corner of my eye, I saw Glimmer smirking at the back of Katniss' head.

I bit back the urge to scream at Glimmer to leave her alone, but I sat there sullenly. I was relieved when I noticed that Cato wasn't doing anything to bug me today and I was writing homework down when I looked up and realized that we had a new classmate joining us.

"I wasn't here on time yesterday." Peeta said apologetically to Mrs. Birch. The teacher nodded curtly and looked around the room. "Well, there are still plenty of desks left, so I'll just choose a seat for you…" Mrs. Birch looked around the room and her eyes landed on the empty desk next to Katniss.

I felt a jolt go up my spine and I grit my teeth.

_Please not next to Katniss; please not next to Katniss…_

"Peeta, why don't you sit next to Katniss?" Mrs. Birch says pleasantly. I groaned and slumped back.

Katniss turned pink and I clenched my hands into fists, feeling blood roar to my ears at her reaction to the seating arrangement.

I wasn't the only one noticing Katniss' reaction.

Glimmer smiled slyly and said in an audible whisper, "Ooh, Katniss, it looks like you found yourself a _boyfriend_." Katniss flinched and turned around to face her.

The entire class tittered at Katniss and she had a pained look slapped on her face. She mumbled something under her breath and turned back around.

Glimmer shot me a 'sympathetic' look and said in a whisper-shout so that everyone could hear, "Poor you, Gale. How does it feel to know that your girlfriend is cheating on you?"

The class erupted into giggles and Mrs. Birch rapped her knuckles on the desk, but it didn't matter. I flushed and shot back. "What's it to you, Glimmer?" I asked coolly. "What, do you want to be _my _girlfriend? Trust me; you don't have any luck in that."

Everyone began laughing again, only this time it was directed at Glimmer. I smirked.

"And as for Katniss, leave her alone." I snapped. "She doesn't need a boyfriend; she's too good for that."

Glimmer's eyes flashed and she tossed her hair. "It was a _joke,_ Gale." She says angrily. "It's not my problem if you don't have a sense of humor." I narrowed my eyes. "If your sense of humor is teasing another person, then you are the most pathetic comedian in the world." I shot back.

This time, Mrs. Birch raised her voice over the commotion and yelled, "That would be enough!"

She shot a glare at the two of us and said sternly, "I don't tolerate ANY bullying of the sorts, do I make myself clear?"

I opened my mouth to protest but Katniss shot me a look that said, _'It's not worth it.' _I snapped my mouth shut and nodded sullenly. Mrs. Birch straightened out her shirt and said, "Well, then. Let's get back for preparing for the rest of the day…"

Her voice drifted off into the background and I shot a glare at Katniss.

'_Why didn't you want me to say something?' _I mouthed to Katniss. Katniss shook her head and gave me a half smile. '_I'm used to it.' _She mouthed back to me and turned to the board, deliberately ignoring my constant attempts to get her attention.

After ten minutes, I slumped back in my chair and sighed angrily. She's USED to it, she says. She's used to being pushed around?

I looked furtively at Glimmer and turned back to Katniss. I allowed my mind to slow down and smiled to myself bitterly.

It's hard to think that these girls would ever talk to each other.

It's even harder to think how these girls used to be friends.

Best friends.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey hey hey you guys! So, thank you so much for the reviews, I was so happy to read them! I would like to call out to THGFAN101 and THGgoddess4ever and TheLittleStupidThingsofLife and peeta and katniss 1 for the awesome reviews. You guys made me smile. :) Right, so here is the next chapter, (I know, sort of lame way to start off my author's note) and I hope you guys enjoy it. YOU GUYS SERIOUSLY HAVE TO LISTEN TO THE SONG 'ECHO' BY JASON WALKER AND 'EVERYBODY LIES' (also by Jason Walker). Those two songs really inspired parts of this story, especially with the little mini-drama going around with Glimmer and Katniss. ;) If you guys listen to the songs, then you'll know what I mean. :) On that note, read on and enjoy! **

Chapter 6.

Peeta—

I watched as Gale looked at Katniss and Glimmer.

I turned back to Mrs. Birch, trying to look focused, but in my head, thoughts were racing each other and a mini-me was screaming, trying to fit the pieces together.

I turned to look at Katniss and felt my throat tighten when I realized that her eyes were almost…wet.

She was blinking furiously, and looking down at her notebook, as though wondering what it was doing in front of her. I watched sadly as her hands trembled slightly as her pencil moved across the page. I bit back my lip and then before I could even think about it, I reached out and stopped Katniss' hand from shaking. She looked up at me, her eyes wide and then she gently scooted her hand away, but she had a small smile on her face to let me know that she was okay.

I smiled, relieved. This is what she needed.

She needed someone to bring a smile back on her face.

Or at least, that's what Kaden told me.

"Make her realize that the world isn't horrible." He had told me before I went to school today. I had given Kaden a small grin and whispered, "Thanks."  
Kaden gave me a hearty flick in the ear but his eyes were gentle when he said, "Your welcome, squirt."

I leaned back in my chair, happy with what I did when I realized from the corner of my eye that Gale was shooting daggers at me through a glare.

I turned ever so slowly to look at him, but he scowled and looked down at his paper. I raised an eyebrow in his direction and then realized something.

Gale likes Katniss.

'I knew it.' I thought to myself bitterly. 'Of course Gale would have a crush on Katniss. They've been friends for…how long now?'

I shook my head to myself. If Gale really wanted Katniss so bad, then he should realize that Katniss is going through a lot of pain…right? He should be doing everything he could to comfort her, not me.

Then why am I comforting her?  
'It's because you like her a lot, too.' A voice whispered to me in the back of my head. 'You care about her too much and you want to make her happy.'

'Shut up.' I think to that voice, which was a stupid move, especially since that voice was mine. 'Go away; I don't really want to think about it right now.'

The voice chuckled softly in my head. 'Gale had his turn for a while now, and now it's your turn. Make the most of it.' It said and disappeared.

I gulped and risked looking at Katniss. Katniss caught my glance and she gave me a reassuring smile that filled me with warmth. I felt warm at the cheeks and then looked down, trying hard to hide my grin.

•◊•

"So what happened back there?" I asked Katniss as we walked out of the classroom.

I sensed that Gale was behind us, and I could feel an even stronger emotion from Gale that suggested that he wanted more than anything for the ground to swallow me up.

I decided to ignore it.

Katniss looked up at me and bit her lip. "Let's just say that Glimmer and I have…disagreements from the past." She says hesitantly. I raised an eyebrow. "So you mean you fight with Glimmer a lot?" I ask.

Katniss smiled bitterly. "Of the sorts." She muttered to me. "She can't stand me, and I try to avoid her as much as possible."

I grinned and pretended to applaud her words. "A wise decision, Katniss Everdeen." I say through chuckles. Katniss pretended to bow down in modesty. "Thank you, thank you." She says graciously. I smiled and tugged at her braid. Katniss smiled at me and she turned pink, but she didn't pull away.

I heard Gale clear his throat loudly and I let go of her braid. "Sorry." I mumbled, flushing. Katniss smiled. "It's okay." She murmured back. "To tell you the truth, I kind of liked the feeling."

I heard Gale make another indignant noise in the back of his throat and Katniss shot a glare at him. "Right." She mutters and she leaves for her locker.

Gale was practically glued to her back as they left. I watched the two of them leave and shook my head in frustration. "Moron." I whisper in Gale's direction and turned to go to my locker.

•◊•

"Name one thing that you can't stand in this world." I say teasingly to Katniss during history class.

Katniss chewed at the end of her pencil and flashed me a grin. "Ooh…that's a tough one." She says, giggling.

I wiggled my eyebrows, which produced another burst of laughter. "Would Glimmer be a correct answer?" I asked.

Katniss grinned and chucked little shreds of eraser at me. "Shut up." She says brightly. I laughed as I ducked the bits of eraser.

When I looked back up, Katniss' smile had disappeared and replacing it was complete and utter fear.

"Whoops." She whispered and I turned around to face a very angry, very pissed off looking Glimmer.

Glimmer's hands were balled into fists and she was sneering at us. "What do you think you're doing, _freak?" _Glimmer asked, her eyes flashing angrily. Katniss bit her lip. "Sorry, Glimmer." She says shortly. "I didn't mean to throw the eraser at you."

Glimmer smirked. "Watch your back, Katniss." She says threateningly. "Just because you're having fun now doesn't mean that you'll have so much fun in the future." Katniss raised her eyebrow. Her face was pale, but she managed to mutter, "And why do you say that?"

Glimmer glared harder at her. "Once everyone finds out the kind of freak you are, they'll leave you like THAT." I turned back to Katniss and this time, her face really had turned white and she was beginning to shake.

"You're planning on telling everyone, aren't you?" She makes out.

Glimmer sneered and slicked some lip gloss over her mouth. "It was going to happen, anyway." She says nastily.

Katniss clenched her hands together. "Glimmer, please." She said shakily. "Just this once, don't say anything."

Glimmer put her hands on her hips. A strange steel glint was in her eye. "Why should I?" I was surprised to find a slight tremble in her voice. "Besides, people should deserve to know what kind of person you are before they go flaunting around with you."

Glimmer shot me a quick glare and I felt my throat tighten. 'Say something, moron!' I thought to myself but I kept my mouth sewed shut.

"Please, Glimmer, if…if the past matters to you at all, then you won't say anything." Katniss said and there was a definite note of begging now in her voice. "Please, Glimmer…"

Glimmer narrowed her eyes at Katniss and she tossed her hair. "You brought this down on yourself, Katniss." She says and turns away.

I unfroze and turned my eyes from Katniss to Glimmer, and then Glimmer and Katniss.

A feeling of dread began to bore at my stomach and I tried to process what the hell just happened.

I opened my mouth to ask Katniss what Glimmer was talking about but I shut it quick. Katniss was staring down at her hands, stricken and I sighed.

I would have to wait for now.

•◊•

"And a one, and a two, and a-"

My bedroom door flung open and Kaden walked in, grinning maniacally. He plopped himself down on my bed and tossed a football at me, but it landed at my feet instead.

"So, how did it go?" Kaden asked me cheerfully. I grunted and flung back the football. "What's it to you?" I shot at him.

Kaden winced and put up his hands as a gesture of pain. "Ouch, little brother." He says. I sighed. "Sorry." I muttered. Kaden drummed his fingers against my bedframe and raised his eyebrows. "So I'm guessing nothing went as well as planned?" He asks.

I snorted. "What do you think?" I say.

Kaden stood up. "Tell me about it." He says. I sighed. "Well, it started off okay." I began. Kaden nodded, careful not to miss a word.

I started from the beginning of the day to the end and Kaden's eyes had popped open much wider when I was finished.

"That stinks bad." Kaden muttered. "Even my girlfriends didn't have so much of a problem like this." I whacked Kaden on the head. "Who says Katniss is my girlfriend?" I asked indignantly. Kaden flashed me a teasing smile. "Fine, your almost-girlfriend seems to have a tough time adjusting." He says.

I rolled my eyes and sat back down at my desk. "Thank you for that note-so-better word arrangement." I mumble to him and started up my computer. Kaden sighed. "I would say that this Glimmer girl is the problem." He says. I snorted. "No duh, Sherlock." I snapped.

I heard Kaden groaning and then he asked, "So what's with this girl anyway, huh? Are Glimmer and Katniss like arch enemies?" I shrugged. "I have no idea." I replied. "All I know is that I think that they hated each other from the very start." I turned back around. Kaden was frowning and tapping his chin thoughtfully.

"That doesn't seem right." He says to me. I raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" I asked. Kaden crossed his arms. "It looks like Katniss did something to piss the hell out of Glimmer a long time ago, and now she's going to tell everyone about it." He explained. Now it was my turn to frown. "Are you saying that Katniss did something wrong?" I asked.

Kaden shrugged. "It's possible, man." He responded. I shook my head. "Even if Katniss did something wrong, then Glimmer has no right to blurt it out to everyone." I say hotly. "Everyone makes a flub up once in a while. It's wrong to remind her about it." Kaden sighed. "Girls are difficult species, bro." He says to me sympathetically and slaps me on the shoulder.

"They don't fight like us boys. They're manipulative and they can be kind of sneaky when they play revenge." On that note, he left my room with a soft snapping noise of the door.

I sighed and turned to my computer, beginning to sketch today's memory.

I found myself drawing a picture of Katniss and Glimmer fighting, while I sat in the middle desk with a questioning and confused look scrawled over my face. I narrowed my eyes at the image of Glimmer and then turned my gaze to Katniss' face.

"What the hell is going on between you two?" I mumbled.

**A/N: Enjoyed the chapter? Please take the couple of seconds to review! ;) Feedback and criticism is welcomed, just please no hater comments...-_- Another thing, if you decided to listen to the two songs listed above, I'm interested to hear what you guys thought of the song. Thanks! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello readers! So, sorry if this chapter is a little shorter than normal, I was just not in the right mood today so eek...! Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter, I really appreciated it. Um, one little message to Radio Free Death: I don't really know what you mean by me cheapening the terror from the other books, because that was never my intention...I really do admire Suzanne Collin's writing so if it seems like I am making the stories sound a little cheap, sorry. And YES I know that throwing a bunch of kids in an arena to kill each other in an arena located in who-knows-where is a HECK lot scarier than high school, but the title was being sarcastic. This story takes place in modern civilization, not in the crazy hell-like reality in the future. So...yeah. On that note, *back to talking to everyone else* Enjoy the chapter and please please please review! No hater comments, feedback and criticism is welcome! Luv ya bunches! XOXO**

Chapter 7.

Katniss—

"Are you okay?" Gale asked me as we walked home. I nodded, trying to swallow down the lump in my throat. "I'm fine." I say, trudging forward.

"Are you sure?" Gale asked.

I blinked a couple of times and nodded again. "I'm sure." I whispered, but my voice came out choked and an octave higher than normal. I winced and tried to regain my posture.

"Glimmer's a jerk, you know. You shouldn't listen to her." Gale says to me, still not getting the hint that I wanted this conversation over.

I nodded listlessly, but Gale continued.

"She doesn't know who you really are. She can't just go judge you. And her spreading rumors? Forget that. Tons of people know you already. They won't believe those words. I mean, it's GLIMMER we're talking about. I think more people hate Glimmer than they hate you. Not that I'm saying that people hate you, I'm just saying-" I sighed and raised my hand to stop Gale.

"Gale, I'm sorry and I appreciate that you're doing the best you can to make me feel better, but I would rather not talk about it." I say slowly.

Gale blinked and nodded quickly. "Of course, I mean I can understand why you wouldn't want to talk about it. I mean, you two probably try not to look at each other at ALL and I'm just making it worse talking about it and-"

I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"Gale." I say warningly. My friend looked at me in the eye and bit his lip. "Sorry." He muttered. "It's alright." I say tiredly.

Gale swallowed. "No, it's not alright." He says. "It's not fine and you're not sure that you're fine…and just QUIT LYING TO ME!"

My eyes widened as he kicked at a brick wall of a house.

He cursed under his breath and his bravado was gone as he began hopping around and rubbing at his foot. "Gale, stop it." I say sharply.

Gale looked up at me and scowled. "You don't tell me how you really FEEL Katniss." He says. "For once, just be truthful and tell me what you really want to DO." I sighed.

"Gale, I know that you're looking out for me, but I don't need someone constantly breathing on my back to say that I'm okay. Because I'm not." I said stiffly.

Gale pointed at me and his glare deepened. "If it was Peeta asking you if you were okay, you'd tell him."

I felt my face flush. "What's that supposed to mean?" I demanded. Gale didn't respond and he didn't bother saying anything to me for the rest of the walk home.

•◊•

"How was school today?" Mom asked me.

I grunted in reply and stomped up to my room.

I flung my bag in the corner and glared at Gale's window, half-hoping that he would open it and we could talk.

I prepared my pad, starting with '_Quit acting like a jerk.'_ But as time went by and Gale's window still didn't open, I changed the message to, '_I don't know what you're talking about.' _

Gale's window still didn't open.

I sighed and switched the message again and wrote, _'I'm sorry.' _

No answer, and the window didn't shift at all.

Frustrated, I set down the pad and began to work on my homework.

Finally, not wanting to take it anymore, I ran out the door and banged at Gale's door.

"Gale, open up and let me in NOW!" I screamed. I heard someone shuffling in there but the door didn't open.

"GALE NOW!" I shouted. "I SWEAR, IF YOU DON'T OPEN THAT DOOR, I WILL-"

I stopped abruptly as the door opened and little Posy looked up at me with curious eyes. "What are you going to do, Katniss?" She asked sweetly.

I gulped and hesitantly put down my fist. "Nothing you need to know, Posy." I answered in what I hoped would be a cheerful voice.

Posy looked at me carefully and then she shrugged. "Gale is in his room." She said and I clenched my teeth.

I nodded tightly and stomped up the stairs and I slammed open the door.

"Gale Hawthorne, you better have a good reason why-" I stopped in my tracks and Gale looked up at me with wide eyes.

"Katniss, what the hell?" He yells at me and grabs a proper shirt to tug on. I blinked a couple of times and then covered my eyes.  
"Gale, get some real pants too." I muttered, my face flushing.

Gale grumbled something and I could feel him walking to his dresser and when I heard a zipper moving up, I finally peeked through my hands.

Let's dissect this moment, shall we?

When I walked into Gale's room, he was sitting at his desk, in his boxers, without a shirt on.

That sounds about right.

"You could have given me a warning!" Gale snapped at me. I narrowed my eyes. "I gave you plenty of warnings." I shot back. "Didn't you hear me screaming when I was getting into your house?"

Gale sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fair enough." He mutters to me.

I sat down on the floor and raised my eyebrow. "Why weren't you fully dressed anyway?" I asked.

Gale shrugged, but I decided to take that as a good answer since I didn't really want to replay the image of him not having a shirt on.

"So why are you here?" He asks me and I felt my throat tighten.

"I'm sorry about…you know." I mumble. "I guess I wasn't really being fair about you and Peeta."

Gale didn't respond. "You like Peeta, don't you?" He finally says after a couple moments of silence.

I felt my cheeks flush but I murmured, "Yeah. I like him…a lot."

I thought I heard Gale sucking in his breath, but it was so quiet I wasn't really sure if I imagined it or not.

"I figured just as much." He says softly. I shrugged. "He's nice." I say shortly.

I looked up at Gale and realized that he looked almost…pained. I stood up and walked over to him. "Gale?" I whispered. "Are you okay?"

Gale gave me a smile. "It's nothing." He murmured.

I bit my lip. "Now you're not being truthful." I say. Gale opened his mouth to say something, but he shut it right after.

"Gale?" I asked, nudging him. "Come on, say something."  
Gale shook his head. "I'm fine." He says a bit forcefully this time. I rolled my eyes. "Come on Gale, I know that you're not as invincible as you tell me you are. Something's bugging you." I poked him a little harder.

Gale glared at me. "Quit it!" He snaps. This time, I punched him in the shoulder. "Quit acting weird first and tell me why the hell you're so pissed off at me!" I say a bit louder.

Gale looked at me in the eye. "Do you really want to know why I'm pissed off at you?" He growls. I crossed my arms in defiance. "Maybe I DO." I say angrily.

Gale lunged at me and I held up my fists, ready to punch him if he was going to punch me, but he didn't.

He pressed me into the wall and I struggled against him. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" I asked, squirming. "Let go of me!"

Gale murmured something in my ear so quickly that I didn't comprehend what he was saying.

My eyes widened. "What?" I asked, still trying to get him off of me. Gale gave me a small smirk and then pressed his lips against mine.

I made a little noise in the back of my throat that I hoped didn't sound too pathetic. Gale put his hands around my waist and I began to feel light-headed and giddy all at the same time as he continued to kiss me.

'No, no, no this can't be happening.' I thought dizzily. 'Please let this just be a dream…even though it's a nicer dream than most…'

Finally, after what seemed to be an hour, I shoved Gale off and I stared at him, my mouth dropping open. Gale watched my face for any reaction and I stuttered out, "You…are…so…full of it!"

Without knowing what else to do, I ran out of Gale's room and charged out the door.

•◊•

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god…" I murmured to myself in my room.

I rocked around on my bed, trying very hard to not think about what the HELL just happened.

"This world really is coming to an end." I said aloud to myself.

Gale. Kissed. Me.

Why did he do that?

We're just friends!

Right?

"Gah!" I scream and punch at my bed a couple of times to make me feel better. What was going on? Gale couldn't just do that! I just told him that I liked Peeta…and he KISSES me?! I moaned and settled back into my bed.

"I just want to be friends." I said out into the darkness as I turned down the shades in my room. "I never asked for him to like me, let alone kiss me…"

I sighed and walked back to my bed. I pulled the covers over my head and closed my eyes, trying to go to sleep.

I couldn't.

I tossed and turned in my bed, hoping that the amount of moving around would tire me down but nothing worked. I sighed again and looked out my window, hoping that maybe Gale would leave a message for me.

I had just opened one of my shades through a crack but I quickly hid under the sill, hoping for dear God that Gale didn't see me.

He was staring right at my window, almost as though he was hoping that I would be leaving HIM a message.

"Oh, god, no." I murmured. I buried my head in my arms.

"Gale, please don't do this to us…" I whispered.

We're friends and I don't want anything weird going on between us…I mean, imagine if one day we fight and then we're suddenly not the same anymore? And then I won't have Gale as a friend…I'll just see him as my…_boyfriend. _

I shuddered at the very thought of it and climbed back to bed.

Gale as my boyfriend…what the hell.

•◊•

_"Who do you like?" She whispered to me as we hid behind our textbooks. _

_"I don't know." I whispered back, giggling. My friend smiled at me. "Oh, come on, Katniss. There has to be ONE guy at least who you want to kiss." I made a puking face and poked her teasingly. _

_"No, I won't want to have a boyfriend." I say softly. "Besides, it would just complicate things." _

_Glimmer sighed and rolled her eyes. "Of course." She says. We lapsed into giggles and pretended to continue reading our textbooks to avoid getting into trouble with the teacher. _

_"But Katniss…if you ever get a boyfriend, you won't leave me, right?" Glimmer asks softly. I nodded and gave her a thumbs-up. "Never." I whispered. "You won't leave either, right?" I asked. _

_Glimmer stuck her tongue out at me. "Do I look like I'll be leaving any time soon?" She whispers. I smiled and she poked me on the shoulder. _

_"Seriously, though." She says. "I'm not going to ditch you because of something stupid like THAT." _

I opened my eyes and stared up at the ceiling.

I sat up straight and when I blinked, I felt water drift down my cheek. I wiped at the tear furiously and whispered out, "Liar. You DID ditch me."


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello people! OMG, I am so super happy that my views shot up by 200 views from last night! I don't know if that's a lot compared to other stories, but I was still excited because...DANG, people are actually reading my work?! :) I never thought that would really happen, because, well, I'm so USED to having my writing put in the dark, you know? *Special thanks to TheLittleStupidThingsinLife, who introduced me to this crazy world in the first place.* Right, so THANK YOU FOR THE LOVE! XD I LURVE IT AND I SMILE AND I KEEP WRITING BECAUSE OF YOU GUYS! *Gives a big Internet hug.* GLOMP! Thank you thank you thank you! On that note, read on, read on, read on! Luv ya bunches! Katierosefun out! XOXOXO**

Chapter 8.

Gale—

I woke up with a dreadful feeling in my stomach before I even opened my eyes.

"Katniss is going to kill me." I said out loud to myself as I walked to the bathroom. She's probably going to make an entire speech how she thinks that we're 'just friends' and then she's going to pummel me and make sure that I won't stand next to her ever again.

"That will be the lesser punishment." I muttered to myself.

I came out, pulling on a shirt and looked out the window. Katniss wasn't there.

I frowned and sighed. She was going to sleep in again, I bet.

I grabbed my bag from the hook and walked down the stairs, making breakfast as my siblings stumbled out of their rooms, rubbing their eyes.

"Morning, sleepy heads." I say as cheerfully as I possibly could as they took their places at the table.

"I'm hungry." Were Vick's predictable first words. I smirked and tousled his hair. I placed a bowl of cereal in front of him. "Hello to you to, Vick." I say teasingly. Vick looks up at me blearily and shrugged. "Gale, why did Katniss run out so fast yesterday?" Posy's small voice asks me.

I froze, and turned around to face her.

My little sister's wide, curious grey eyes were staring at me. "She was saying something really fast." Posy adds. I nodded. Vick snorted and he gave me a sly smile. "I heard a lot of screaming and kicking up there." He says softly.

I flushed and turned back around. "Nothing happened." I said firmly.

"You looooooooooove her…" Vick says, not willing to give up. I turned around again, glaring at him. "What are you talking about?" I asked. Vick puckered up his lips and crossed his eyes. "You kissed her!" He says and began making immature smooching noises.

"Vick, quit playing around." I say sharply. My little brother giggled and went back to eating his cereal. "Well, that's okay." Posy says pleasantly. "I think Gale should kiss Katniss." I raised an eyebrow at her and she looked at me carefully. "After all, you like her a lot."

I felt my throat go tight and I smiled at her. "Thanks, Posy." I say. Rory chuckled. "So I'm not the only guy crushing on the Everdeen girls?" He says.

I rolled my eyes and walked out of the door before my brothers could begin cracking more obnoxious jokes.

Katniss was leaning against a tree, inspecting her nails when I went outside.

She smirked at me. "What's up?" She says smarmily. I grimaced, not sure if that was a trick question or not. Well, two can play at that game.

"Nothing much." I say lightly and we began to walk to the school. Katniss and I entered an uncomfortable silence and all we could hear was the shuffling of our feet on the side walk. Katniss finally sighed and shoved me. "What was that all about yesterday?" She asks me, an eyebrow rising to her hairline.

I shrugged and continued walking. "I mean, you don't kiss your FRIEND." She starts. "That's like ME kissing an older BROTHER." I continued to ignore her.

"I mean, I just told you that I liked PEETA. Usually, a guy doesn't kiss a girl right after she admits that she likes another guy."

I only registered part of the words in my head but shrugged it off. Katniss still pressed on.

"Gale, I like you and everything, but only as a FRIEND. Besides, it's going to get weird if you and I…you know, was a couple…" I grit my teeth and turned around.  
"I get it, Katniss." I snapped.

"You only think of me as an older brother, nothing more, nothing less. Now, can we please forget about it?" I say angrily.

Katniss blinked and bit her lip. "Alright, then." She says stiffly. "Thank you." I say and we walked into the school building, dropping off our bags and getting ready for the school day.

When we walked into the homeroom, everyone was already in their seats and Mrs. Birch was standing up stiffly, as though she was nervous and if she made one false step, she was doomed.

When my eyes did a 360 degrees turn around the room, I realized why she was so wound up.

Principal Snow was standing by a window, waiting patiently for Katniss and me to take our seats.

"We're late, aren't we?" I whispered in Katniss' ear as we sat down. "You betcha." She replied shortly.

"Thank you for finally joining us." The principal says. I nodded and Katniss smirked.

We hated the principal, and he knew that very well. "He reminds me of a snake." Katniss once told me when we first saw him. I had shrugged that day and said, "Well, first appearances don't always count." Katniss shot me a look and shook her head. "Maybe not." She had murmured, but as the years went by, we all grew to despise Snow's very existence.

He took power over everything, and didn't always treat the students as equally as he should. Now, don't give me any of that principal crap how he's the principal—He's supposed to be a princiPAL. What idiot came up with that word?

I have no idea, but if there was one word to describe Snow, it was definitely not 'pal'. More like 'joy-sucking demon of manipulative tricks'.

Hey, that's the NICEST thing I can say about him.

"Now that the final students are here, I have an announcement to make." The principal says stiffly. "Why can't you just do it over the intercom like you always do?" A student asks in a bored voice. Snow turns to the student and he shrank back.

"I am delivering this announcement separately because this only applies to the freshman year students of the high school." Snow replied. The student nodded and turned back to his proper place.

"There will be an upcoming Halloween dance this year." Principal Snow declares, which sent excitement spreading throughout the room, but Katniss frowned. "Why does he want to give us a dance, exactly?" She whispers to me.

I shrugged. "Maybe he wants to do something nice for once." I replied. Katniss narrowed her eyes at the principal.

"I expect you all to come." The principal says simply and exits the room. I turned to Katniss, who was still mulling this entire concept over. I smirked. "Come on, Katniss, have some fun and forget about the principal!" I say pleadingly.

Katniss sighed and looked up. She grinned and tossed her hands in the air. "Whatever." She says. "Let's go get crazy at the dance, then." I gave her a full smile and slapped her on the back.

"That's the spirit!" I say joyfully.

Katniss leaned against her chair and whispered, "So, Halloween, huh?" I nodded. "We're going to have to come in costumes." I replied. Katniss wiggled her eyebrows at me. "What are you going to be?" She asks. I shrugged. "I'll come with something." I say.

Katniss smirked. "It better be something more appealing than the Grim Reaper costume you wore last year." She says loftily. I spread out my hands in protest. "It was cool!" I say.

Katniss tossed her hair back. "By cool, you mean terrifying, and then yes, it was plenty cool. Prim couldn't look at you or sleep for an entire month without thinking of the Grim Reaper coming for her." She said. I sighed. "Fine, fine, I won't be the Grim Reaper this year." I say, miffed.

Katniss gave me a lopsided grin. "Thank you." She says. I rolled my eyes.

"What are you going to be?" I asked Katniss. She rubbed her chin with a hand mockingly as though she was in deep thought and then hunched her shoulders. "I have no idea." She says. I patted her back. "Relax; we still have a long time before Halloween rolls around." I say. "It's only been the first couple days of school."

Katniss looked up, wide-eyed. "I never realized that." She says. "I would think that the school year went by a bit more quickly this time." I rolled my eyes again. "You're only saying that because to you, a lot happened. For me, nothing happened." Katniss smirked. "Fair enough." She says.

Before we could say anything else, Mrs. Birch brought the class back to order again and we were to look over any class notes before our next class.

"So, Katniss, who are you bringing to the dance?" I heard Glimmer whisper in Katniss' ear.

I stiffened, and so did Katniss.

She turned around to face Glimmer. "What do you mean?" She asked softly. Glimmer chuckled. "If you knew any better, when we have a school dance, you're supposed to bring a date." She murmurs. Something in Katniss' face hardened and when she opened her mouth to speak, every word had an iron grip behind it.

"You don't need to know." She says coldly. Glimmer rolled her eyes. "Who will it be?" She breathed on her neck. "I've noticed that you've had a couple of candidates." Katniss froze and her eyes flicked to me.

I felt a small flush creeping up on my neck but I held my ground. "Leave me alone, Glimmer." She says, her voice getting a little louder. "Why would you care?"

Glimmer smirked. "I care…and you know why." She says and Katniss made a little noise in the back of her throat. She swiveled back around to face her desk and Glimmer glanced at me, her eyes cold and ready to tear me apart.

"Who will YOU be bringing, Gale?" She asked sweetly. I raised an eyebrow. "Who says I'm going with someone?" I asked icily. Glimmer gave me a sad smile. "Oh, right, I forgot. Katniss is already taken, right?" I clenched my hands into fists.

"Don't pretend that you know everything, Glimmer." I say sharply. "Because you don't know ANYTHING about us."

Glimmer made a soft tssking noise in pity and tossed her hair.

"Good luck, then." She says and went back to looking at her notebook.

I slowly let my hands roll out to being the regular size again and let myself get out a breath.

•◊•

"If I've had a nickel for every single freaking time she made me want to strangle her, I would be a gazillionare by now." Katniss grumbled as we stood in the lunch line.

I raised an eyebrow. "Is 'gazillionare' even a word?" I asked, bemused. Katniss scowled and stuck her tongue out at me.

"You know what I mean." She says, crossing her arms. I nodded knowingly.

"If I had a nickel for every single time you were whining about Glimmer, I would be…well, very rich." I say as we took our trays. Katniss shrugged.

"So…did you get any of those crazy nightmares last night?" I asked. Katniss' face grew dark and clouded as she nodded. "What was this one about?" I asked lightly as I paid for my lunch. Katniss walked with me to our table.

"It was…about…you know, when Glimmer and I were talking about…girly stuff." She murmured vaguely and looked down at her lunch. I frowned.

Katniss was usually very descriptive in her dreams, but when she mentioned that it was about 'girly stuff', I suppose she meant something that I would not understand, or something that I would not like.

I nodded and decided to keep my mouth shut about crazy dreams…for now.

Katniss suddenly looked up at me and whispered, "I've been thinking about the…incident for a long time now, Gale." I nodded again, careful not to say a word.

"I think I should face it…but I don't think Glimmer would be so welcoming about it." She managed. I pressed my lips tight together. "Well, if she doesn't accept your apology, then that's her loss." I say slowly. Katniss shook her head. "I don't know…" She murmured. "It's just that it's been so _long_, and she hates me so _much, _I just feel like if we have to come down to apologizing…it's going to have to be me."

I let my mouth drop open.

"Katniss, you didn't do anything that bad, it's her actions that made it a hell lot worse than it was in the first place!" I blurted out. "If she took your message the first time, and accepted it, then she wouldn't have turned it into a bigger mess!"  
Katniss looked up sharply, her eyes filled with bitter anger. "I started it." She said coldly. "I should finish it." I sighed and tossed my hands in the air, exasperated.

"She needs to apologize too!" I exclaimed. "What she did and said that day was totally out of the line, even for her!"

Tears were now welling up in Katniss' eyes. "I would have said those same things if I was in her shoes." She said. I shook my head. "You wouldn't have." I muttered to her. "You would have tossed your shoulders back and accepted the apology the FIRST time you did it."

Katniss smirked sadly. "I'm proud, Gale." She says. "I'm prideful and I hate admitting that I'm wrong. Glimmer knew that and she was furious that I would do that to her."

I stood up, my hands balled up into determined fists. I was about to open my mouth when I heard a surprised shout and someone falling.

I turned around and narrowed my eyes.

Peeta was sitting on the ground, confused and his eyes wide.

He had been eavesdropping on us.

**A/N: Liked the chapter? Pretty pretty pretty please review! With cherries and sprinkles on top! Please! Feedback and criticism is welcome, just no flames and no hater comments! Thank you! :) **


	9. Chapter 9

**Hi you guys! Thanks for the awesome reviews and follows and favorites! You guys really made my day. 'To a rebel': Thanks for the awesometasteaful review and offer, I'm glad that you like my story. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. *FUZZINESS!* 'TheLittleStupidThingsinLife': Um, I'm not really planning on giving Glimmer more cliques, and I'm planning on keeping it nice and simple with Cato, Marvel, and Clove. BUT THERE WILL BE MORE CLIQUES, ONLY THE GOOD KIND...stay in tune for that. *spoiler alert* Right, now, back to business: It was so super hard to write this chapter, 'cause a couple of times my own hands were shaking and there were some parts where I COULD NOT STOP DELETING THE WORDS. It took a while for me to come up with a scenario, and when I finally wrote it down, my head was spinning with the entire IDEA of it...! :( SO, read and find out what I'm talking about. Luv ya bunches! XOXO**

Chapter 9.

Peeta—

My eyes widened as Gale and Katniss looked over at me.

"What are you doing?" Gale asked me in a low growl. I gulped and stood up, trying to compose myself. "Nothing." I responded.

Gale stood up and narrowed his eyes at me. "What the hell did you hear?" He asked.

I gulped. "I didn't hear anything." I managed to stutter out. Gale rolled his eyes. "I've got three freaking siblings at home, I would know if someone was lying to me or not." He says.

"Gale, quit it." Katniss says quietly. "It's fine. Everyone was going to know anyways." Gale turned around, his eyes wide.

"Katniss, we can't just let Peeta go around talking about it!" He says furiously. Katniss shook her head. "I don't care anymore." She says wearily. "I don't really want to think about it."

I bit my lip and Gale turned back to me. "What. Did. You. Hear?" He asked, his voice getting all low and intense. I grit my teeth and muttered, "I heard everything."

Gale gave me an exasperated sigh and asked, "Why would you want to listen to us in the first place? You do realize that eavesdropping is rude, right?"

I looked up at him and narrowed my eyes. He was giving me a smug smile as though he already knew that he had won.

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop." I say. "I just noticed that Katniss was upset, that's all." Gale crossed his arms. "Just because Katniss was upset doesn't mean that you can listen on our conversations, especially when they're PRIVATE."

Katniss stood up. "Stop it, Gale." She says sharply. "If Peeta knows, it wouldn't matter anymore." Gale's eyes widened and he began exchanging furious looks with her.

"Peeta, how much do you really know?" She asks me. I felt guilt spiking into my heart and I muttered, "I've been knowing that something was wrong for a long time." Katniss raised an eyebrow and I sighed.

Who cares, right? I'm going to have to fess up at one point, anyways.

"I…sort of eavesdropped on you guys…in middle school…" I murmured. "I heard everything…and saw it, too."

Katniss' eyes hardened and I closed my eyes.

I was so freaking dead.

Instead, Katniss let out a breath. "So you've seen me…do what exactly?" She asks me softly.

I still didn't open my eyes. I kept my head trained at the floor.

"I saw you crying…and I heard you saying that everything was your fault…and I saw…everything." I finished.

"Peeta, it's okay." Katniss whispered. I opened my eyes and looked up at her. Her face was sad, and she was chewing on the insides of her cheeks.

"Glimmer was going to tell everyone, anyways." She said. My eyes opened wider and I managed to say, "I don't know all of it, but I do know that…something really, really bad happened."

Katniss let out a bitter laugh. "You're right about that part." She says. "Something really bad happened…so bad, it made sure that Glimmer and I would never talk to each other again."

I raised an eyebrow. "I thought that you guys already hated each other." I said. Katniss smirked. "Oh, she hates me alright, and I would like to say that I hate her, but…I can't really." She mumbled.

"Katniss, you don't need to tell him, for God's sake!" Gale snapped. "You don't even KNOW him that well." Katniss' eyes flicked at me for a second and she looked back at Gale. "I do know Peeta." She whispered. "I know him very well, and I know him enough to trust that he won't hurt me."

Gale's mouth dropped open as well as mine. I shut it quickly and tried to slow down the thoughts that were racing through my head.

"Peeta…" Katniss says. "Just…when I tell you, promise me that you won't…think of me as someone to sympathize…avoid me…if you can…"

I swallowed down something in my throat hard and nodded slowly.

I could see Gale in the corner of my eye, gaping at us as Katniss slowly leads me out of the cafeteria and out of the classroom.

If it wasn't for the fact that Gale was watching me like a hawk, I would've felt bad for that guy.

•◊•

"Glimmer and I were good friends…" Katniss started off.

I sat on top of a desk, while she sat on top of another. She was tracing patterns on the floor as she spoke, not looking up at me.

"She and I were friends for a long time, from elementary to half way of middle school." Katniss sighed. "All the time, everywhere, I always went to bed thinking, 'I have a friend. That's all I could ask for. There's nothing better than that.'" She smirked at the ground.

"I didn't think that Glimmer would leave me, you know? Whenever we fought, we always ended up apologizing to each other and moved on from it. We knew that bringing up the fight would just add more scars, and that since we were friends, it would be our jobs to keep those scars in check."

"Everything was okay, but all good things come to an end, right?"

Katniss' voice shook a little and I gripped the sides of the desk so hard that my knuckles turned white.

"Peeta, I lied to her." Katniss choked out. I raised an eyebrow and then murmured, "That's okay. I mean, everyone lies once in a while, right?" Katniss shook her head. "You don't understand. I lied to her as in I REALLY, REALLY LIED TO HER…"

I looked at her curiously. "What would be this lie…exactly?" I asked slowly. Katniss hugged herself, rocking herself back and forth and then she squeezed her eyes shut. "I don't really know if I should say this…out loud." She whispered. "I really don't want to…"

I sighed. "Katniss, I know that you don't want to. It hurts to admit that you did something wrong, but it'll hurt even more if you don't say it out loud to someone else." Katniss bit her lip and looked up at me. Her eyes were glazed over with tears and her voice was quiet.

"One day, Glimmer and I were in this awful, awful fight." She started shakily. "It was stupid, really. It was about something like how I wasn't really paying attention to how people looked at me…" She laughed sadly. "We were stupid little kids."

"I got furious, and when I got home, I wanted to scream and hit everything in my path…and I had no idea how sorry I would be right after." She said. I nodded, gesturing for her to go on.

"I…wrote an article in the school newspaper, and it was something done at the last second, you see, and I actually managed to…get into a teacher's computer…to edit the news…" I felt my heart sink when she told the rest.

"I…posted a couple of mean things…about Glimmer, and when she asked me if I did it…I swore that I didn't…" Katniss gulped.

"I told her later…and admitted that I really did do those things…that I was sorry…that I wasn't thinking…that if I could switch it…I would…" She murmured.

I felt an icy feeling jolt up my body and I had to keep myself from backing away slowly.

I now understood what Katniss meant.

If I was Glimmer…well, I would want to stay away from Katniss as well.

'Shut up, Peeta.' I thought angrily to myself. 'Let her finish the story, and then we'll see who to judge.'

Katniss drew in a shaky breath and then she murmured, "Well, Glimmer didn't take it so well after that. She shouted at me a couple times, the usual. She said that she was disappointed in me, that she couldn't believe that I had been so low to do something that STUPID."

Katniss wiped at her eyes and then said quietly, "And it got even worse."  
I raised an eyebrow and she looked up at me. She smiled bitterly and whispered, "I wouldn't be surprised if I figured out that your parents talked about me, right?"

I felt as though someone had just kicked me in the chest. Wordlessly, I nodded.

Katniss sighed. "Let's just say that Glimmer…she's got connections. People found out. People began to judge me, call me a liar and other things…that I want to forget."

I gripped the desk even harder.  
"Eventually, the parents found out…and let's just say that they weren't very pleased with me…they warned their kids about me, that I was a little outcast…" She muttered.

I couldn't help it.

"Those parents are wrong." I say shakily. "They can't honestly think that it's RIGHT for them to judge a kid like that."

Katniss shook her head. "It didn't matter to them." She said coldly. "To them, I was suddenly a manipulative MONSTER that should be kept AWAY."

"Most of the kids found out at the school, and it was pretty vicious." Katniss said and she raised an eyebrow at me. "I'm surprised that you never found out even a LITTLE that I was a bad person."

I shook my head. Katniss gave me a small smile and whispered, "I'm grateful for that."

I nodded and she went on with the rest of her story.

"It was my entire fault, but I was a kid, I didn't really know how impacting this would be until it was too late. Glimmer and I talked, and she…what did she call it? She said that she couldn't trust me anymore, that she wanted NOTHING to do with me." Katniss whispered.

I felt my heart clench and muttered, "That's pretty harsh."

Katniss let out mirthless laughter and says, "But it's fair, right? You should keep yourself away from liars." Her voice was reaching a hysterical point. "When a criminal does something, you don't invite him in your house; you lock all of your windows and your doors!"

Her voice broke and then she let a tear fall down her eye.

"It was horrible…the whispers, the gossip, the constant avoiding…" Katniss shook her head. "By the time summer rolled around, I didn't have many who wanted to be close to me. And when I did have a couple of friends, they always kept their guard up."

I bit my lip and asked hesitantly, "What about Gale?"

Katniss smiled, only this one was a bit more hopeful. "Gale was the only person who stood by me." She whispered. "He felt bad for me and he took me under his wing. He told me that what I did was horrible, but for Glimmer to make sure that I would be alone…that was just as bad."

She finished with a sigh and then whispered, "If you want to avoid me…or leave me…or just forget about me…then I'll accept that."

I stood up from the desk awkwardly and then said, "Katniss, I don't want to do any of those things to you." Katniss looked up at me, surprise dawning into her eyes.

I sighed and sat down next to her. "Katniss, I have to say, what you did was really, truly horrible and I don't really blame Glimmer for freaking out." I say. Katniss hung her head.

"But what Glimmer did was also inexcusable. It's like…what you told me before." I say. "A simple friend will think that the friendship is over when you fight…but a true friend will know that the friendship has begun when you fight."

Katniss gave me a watery smile and gave me a small laugh.

"I must sound ridiculous." She mumbles, and wipes at her eyes. "No, you don't." I say.

Katniss clenched her hands together and said, "I've been thinking about this for a long time…I had hoped that Glimmer would come around, or that something GOOD would happen so that we could be…how we used to be."

I felt my own hands drift over to Katniss'.

She bit her lip and whispered, "Friends don't leave each other, right?" I nodded. Another tear trickled down her eye. "I once read that a true friend is with you in your darkest hours…why wasn't she there? Why couldn't she have…" Her voice drifted off and her body began shaking with sobs.

I sighed and wrapped my arms around her. "It's okay." I whispered and smoothed out her hair.

"I'll be here for you."

**A/N: So, what did you think? REVIEW PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE! :) PLEASE! WITH SPRINKLES ON TOP! :) Feedback and criticism is welcome, just nothing to harsh, please. And, of course, NO HATER COMMENTS!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hi guys! Sorry that I couldn't update my story yesterday-my cousins were over and I was spending some time with them. However, I was able to work on this chapter a bit and I finally finished it. Anyways, thank you so so much for following and favoring my story, it makes me smile all the time to think that people are actually reading my story. :) :) Luv ya bunches! XOXO**

Chapter 10.

Katniss—

"So…how did it go?" Gale asked me when we walked out of the school.

"It was alright." I responded, no looking at him in the eye. Gale frowned.

"I still can't believe that you told him." He says, kicking at a pebble on the ground. I shrugged.

"I trust him." I say softly. Gale snorted. "Oh yeah, you would definitely trust him…" He muttered under his breath and I shot him my best glare. "What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.

Gale let out a breath and said, "Well, you just _love _being around him, right? He's just _so _amazing and incredible, no doubt you would-"

"Gale, shut up." I cut off his words. My eyes were stinging and I was having difficulty swallowing. "If you hate him that much, then keep it to yourself, or tell your thoughts to another person, just not me." I say.

Gale's eyes softened a little and mumbled, "Sorry. It's just that Peeta…" I sighed and walked ahead of him.

Gale ran up to me and said, "I just…don't really like Peeta…" He struggled to find more correct words but then slumped in defeat.

"I just don't like that guy." He finished lamely. I pressed my lips tight together and nodded.

Whatever, right?

Gale will just have to get used to it.

•◊•

When I got home, a little surprise was waiting for me.

I opened Prim's room and I stopped in my tracks with wide eyes when I noticed that Rory was there.

By himself.

In PRIM'S room.

With PRIM.

My eyes quickly scanned the room and they stopped on Prim's hands, which were neatly folded in Rory's. I smiled to myself and knocked on the door quietly.

"Am I interrupting something?" I whispered.

Prim looked up, flushing. "No, it's okay." She mumbled and began to separate her hands with Rory's but I put up my own hands to stop them.

"It's okay, I was just checking on you." I respond and Prim caught my eyes. I gave her a miniature wink and she smiled broadly at me.

I walked into my room and opened my window.

Gale was already waiting for me, smiling smugly. I grabbed a pen and wrote, '_You knew that Rory liked Prim, right?' _Gale shrugged and wrote back, '_I didn't think that he was going to get Prim alone, you know.' _

I grinned and then he wrote, '_It's funny…our siblings like each other.' _

I rolled my eyes and wrote back to him, _'Well, Rory better be a good boyfriend to Prim because if he's not, I'm going to have his hind.' _

Gale began laughing and wrote, '_I'll keep that in check while I teach Rory lessons how to charm a girl.' _

I narrowed my eyes at him but he waved good bye and shut his window. I sighed in fake disgust and walked over to my desk, cheered by the small pleasure that happens.

•◊•

Prim crept into my room after Rory left and gave me a shy smile.

I patted the space on my bed next to me and asked, "Do you want to talk about something?" Prim nodded and walked over to me.

She plopped herself down, neatening herself and then with eyes shining, she whispered, "Rory likes me." I smiled. "I figured that out." I replied. Prim nods and then whispered, "I like him, too."

I looked over at her and raised an eyebrow. "Since when did you like Rory?" I asked, confused. Prim shrugged. "I liked him, oh, the second we met each other." She says easily. My eyes widened and I managed to get out, "Wow…you must be _really _happy."

Prim nodded. "It turns out that Rory liked me a lot too, but he just didn't know how to tell me. He told me that Gale sort of…let's say that he just pushed him in the right direction." I snorted. "I should have known that Gale had a hand in this." I mumbled.

Prim sighed happily and said, "But at least now Rory and I know that we like each other." I reached over to Prim and hugged her. "You should be happy." I say. "You and Rory look so perfect together." Prim nodded enthusiastically and then she says, "I just can't believe it."

I grinned and tousled her hair. "Believe it, Prim." I say softly. My little sister looked up at me and then whispers, "It would be so funny if you liked Gale." I felt a jolt go up my spine but I nodded and forced a laugh. "That _would _be funny." I say.

Prim looked at me and then her mouth morphed into a sad smile. "I feel bad for Gale, you know." She said to me. I raised an eyebrow. "Why is that?" I asked.

Prim bit her lip. "Gale likes you. A lot. He liked you the second he met you."

Well, that came down like a ton of bricks.

•◊•

Of course, I should have known that Gale liked me. The fact that Gale KISSED me clued me in that he had feelings for me that were labeled, 'More than friends,' but the fact that he's been liking me ever since he MET me…well, that was just mind blowing.

"Prim, how did you find that out?" I asked slowly. Prim stood up and shrugged. "Rory told me." With that, she walked out of my room, skipping and not understanding that what she just told me was beginning to spur crazy thoughts in my head.

"Screw this!" I shouted and muffled my curses with a pillow in case Prim heard me.

This was not good…I had specifically told Gale that he and I were jut friends…just…friends.

I moaned and flopped backwards.

"What the hell is this life?" I asked out angrily. "How does this even _happen_?" I sighed again and rolled over, glaring out the window.

I was surprised when Gale's window opened with a loud snapping sound and panicked, I leapt underneath my bed, hoping that he would assume that I wasn't in my room.

At the moment, as you probably see, I did not want to look at Gale whatsoever.

I crawled from under my bed and peeked at the window. I made a little squeaking noise and ducked my head again.

I shut my eyes tight, hoping that Gale will just go, go, go.

I don't know how much time passed but when I finally raised my head, Gale wasn't at his window.

I let out a sigh of relief and snapped shut the blinds in my room.

"Hiding from someone?" I felt my face flush and I turned around slowly to face Gale, who was leaning against my door frame with a smirk on his face.

"I…um…I…was…" I stuttered and mentally slapped myself. 'Smooth move, Katniss.' I thought angrily to myself and felt my cheeks grow warmer.

"How did you get in?" I made out.

Gale shrugged. "I walked in the front door." He says easily. "That's how most people get in." I gulped. "What?" I asked.

Gale nodded. "The front door was locked, but I know where you keep the spare key, remember?" I had the decency to scowl as Gale dangled the keys in front of my face teasingly.

"I'm guessing that you don't really want to talk to me because…?" Gale gestured at my closed window. I bit my lip and sighed.

"I just…Prim told me…Rory told her…" I whispered and Gale nodded. "I get it." He says softly. I felt guilt stab through my heart and looked down.

"I'm sorry." I muttered, not quite understanding what else to say. Gale smirked and let out a bitter chuckle. "Saying sorry…that isn't really appropriate in this situation. After all, you can't control who you like, right?" He says and leans in towards me.

I automatically leaned backwards but Gale smirked at me again. "I'll try to stop liking you, Katniss." He whispers and left the room.

•◊•

When I woke up, I was dreading facing Gale on our walk to school.

I sighed heavily and dragged myself out of bed and into the bathroom, where I mulled my thoughts over in the shower.

'This is why I never liked Gale.' I thought angrily to myself as I tugged on some clothes. 'When you like your best friend, everything goes crazy and suddenly, things get complicated.'

Sighing again, I grabbed my bag off my bedpost and stomped down the stairs.

Mom was already awake, making breakfast but I ignored it. I grabbed a yogurt cup and muttered a 'hello' to her. I threw open the front door and walked over to Gale's house.

He was already waiting for me, and judging by the expression on his face, he was dreading talking to me as well. I cleared my throat and whispered, "Hey." Gale nodded in acknowledgement and we set down the sidewalk.

"Well…today's a nice day." Gale says awkwardly. I nodded and said, "Makes you want to ditch school." A twinkle appears in Gale's face and asks, "Shall we?" I felt a smile playing at my lips and retorted, "You know we can't do that."

Gale grinned and shrugged. "It was worth a shot."

Just like that, Gale and I were back on the road to pushing what happened yesterday behind us. I smiled to myself.

This was exactly why Gale and I were good friends.

And I was planning on keeping it like that.

We were laughing when we walked into homeroom, but as we took our seats, something was incredibly wrong. _Already._

The entire classroom was quiet, and when I looked around, Mrs. Birch wasn't here yet. I frowned. Usually, when Mrs. Birch wasn't here, the entire class would be in a ruckus, screaming and shouting for freedom.

Instead, every eye was on us, and they were not friendly eyes, either. I looked at Gale and then looked down to find Peeta, his eyes wide and forlorn at me. I felt my stomach clenching, as well as my hands.

"What's going on?" I whispered, feeling dread creep over me. My eyes widened as Glimmer stood up, her face smug.

"I think you know, Katniss." She sneered. I bit my lip. I DID have a clue at what was going on in hand right now, but I decided to ask, anyway.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I say, hoping that I looked as calm as I sounded. Glimmer smirked. She gestured around the classroom. "Everyone knows, Katniss." She says and giggles breathily. "Isn't that nice? Everyone knows who you REALLY are. A freak."

I felt my heart drop and I mumbled, "Do you really think that they'll believe that?" Glimmer smiled sweetly. "They all believe it." She says. "Turns out, a lot of people already knew without my doing."

I turned around slowly, my eyes still nervously darting around each face in the class. They were all looking at me with either disappointed or shocked eyes. "What's your problem?" A girl called out to me and I felt my face flush. "You can't just do that to someone!" Another boy adds. "You would do that to your FRIEND? How low can you really get?" Someone sneered.

I closed my eyes and I felt Gale grasp my arm, trying to move me away.

"You're a bully!"

"How can you do that?"

"Are you mental or something?"

My eyes snapped open and I felt anger coursing through my veins. I couldn't take this anymore.

"Do you have any idea what it's like?" I asked softly. Everyone stopped talking and stared at me, wondering if I really had spoken or not.

"Do you have any idea what it's like, to be pushed away by your best friend?" I continued, my voice trembling. "Do you have any idea what it's like to be pushed away by other people who don't even know you?" I felt a tear trickle down my eye.

"Do you have any idea what it's like to have nightmare after nightmare about each memory from that day?" My voice got louder. "Everyone had lied before! I made a mistake! I'm haunted by it every day!" I turned to look at Glimmer, whose face was stony.

"We all have faults." I whispered. "We all have something inside of us that urges us to do the wrong thing, because we just CAN. But best friends…" I swallowed and looked down at the ground. I heard someone's footsteps coming near me and when I looked up, Peeta was right next to me. His hand wandered down to mine and clutched it tightly.

I found my voice. "Best friends are supposed to ACCEPT that." I say. "Best friends are the kind of people who walk in through that door when everyone else walks out."

I felt tears trickle down my face and turned to Glimmer. "You didn't walk in." I say in a small voice. I blinked a couple of times.

The room was spinning and I could hear my head pounding, but I still continued to talk.

"You didn't give me a chance to tell you anything. You pushed me away." I murmured and stumbled. Peeta grabbed onto me, steadying me. I struggled to say the last sentence. "Glimmer, you didn't…accept it." I mumbled and my knees buckled.

I heard someone scream and I felt Peeta's hands shaking me, trying to get me back on my feet. I opened my mouth to say something, but my vision darkened and I the last thing I remembered was Glimmer's face, looking at me with stricken eyes.

**A/N: Please please please review! It would mean a lot to me! Feedback and criticism is allowed, just please no hater comments! Thanks!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello peoples! I'm back on track with the updating and so I give you chapter 11! Thanks so much for the favoring and following and everything, it means so much to me. :) Just a quick note before I give you the chapter: I've been thinking about what my next Fan Fic after this should be, and I've been thinking of creating a Star Wars the Clone Wars/Hunger Games crossover. If you guys liked this story and want to read more of my stories, it would mean a lot to me if you checked out that story after I'm done with this. :) Thanks! Now, on with the story! ;)**

Chapter 11.

Gale—

"Katniss, wake up!" I hissed into her ear. She didn't open her eyes.

Peeta looked at me, his eyes wide. "We have to get her to the nurse." He says and before I could stop him, he had gathered Katniss in his arms and was out the door.

I clenched my hands into fists and turned around to face Glimmer, whose eyes were shocked and face was pale. "What the hell have you done?" I shouted. Glimmer bit her lip. "I didn't do anything!" She says, the confidence from her eyes drained.

I sighed in disgust. "Here, let me re-phrase my question." I snarled. "Why the hell did you tell everyone about Katniss' mistake?!"

Glimmer's eyebrows furrowed and she said, "I did warn her that I was going to tell everyone!" I rolled my eyes. "Does that really matter here? Katniss had done a good job trying to keep herself composed in front of you and I'm surprised that she didn't break down! She just fainted and you expect me to believe that you didn't do anything that might have caused it?!" I shouted.

Glimmer bit her lip and I waved my hand. "You know what? Forget it. Don't tell me, tell Katniss." I say and grabbed her hand. Glimmer whimpered in protest but I ignored her. I dragged her along the hallways and we reached the nurse's office. I banged open the door and marched in with Glimmer in tow.

Peeta was sitting on a chair next to the couch that Katniss was laid out on. "Is she okay?" I asked in a low voice. Peeta nodded. "The nurse says that she probably fainted because she was stressed out." His eyes narrowed at Glimmer's existence and she had the decency to blush.

Peeta pulled me aside and whispered, "Why is she here?" I kept my voice low as I talked. "She needs to apologize to Katniss, Peeta. It's the only way how we can stop this stupid thing." Peeta nodded slowly, understanding. "Glimmer and Katniss were friends?" He asks. I nodded tightly. "It's hard to believe, right?" I ask. Peeta smirked. "I didn't really suspect it."

Then, he sighed. "Gale, if Glimmer is going to apologize to Katniss, then she has to do it the right way, meaning that we don't interfere with it at all. Is that clear?" I narrowed my eyes at him. "What if everything goes wrong? We can't just leave Katniss alone like that!" I say through clenched teeth.

Peeta shook his head. "If we stepped in for Katniss, then she'll never be able to tell Glimmer of how she really feels. She can't just hide behind other people, Gale. She needs to say everything by herself, because she's the only way who truly understands."

"I understand, I'm her friend." I argued. Peeta shook his head. "What you saw and heard between Glimmer and Katniss can never be understood unless you were Katniss herself, which you are not. Therefore, it is only reasonable for Katniss to do everything by herself."

I grit my teeth, unwilling to allow Peeta to win over the argument, but before I could say anything, we heard a soft moan and when we turned around to find the source of the noise, Katniss' eyes were slowly opening.

"Katniss, are you alright?" Peeta asks worriedly. Katniss sat up and rubbed her temples. "I've got a head ache but I think that's it…" She murmurs and looked up.

Her face completely fell when she caught sight of Glimmer.

"What are you doing here?" She asked softly. Glimmer shot a nervous glance at me but I didn't bother looking back at her. "Go on." I muttered angrily to her.

She bit her lip and mumbled, "I'm sorry, Katniss." Katniss narrowed her eyes at her and whispered, "Are you really?" Glimmer's head snapped up and her eyes widened. "Don't you think you should accept my apology?" She asked. "I just said I was sorry for crying out loud!"

I made a move to get Glimmer out of the room before she could totally lose it but Peeta put up a hand and shook his head towards me. I ground my teeth together and stood back in the corner.

"I don't see how you're so sorry." Katniss whispered. She stood up shakily and walked over to her. "What are you sorry for? Besides, I'm the one who did wrong first, right?" She says, her voice getting louder. "I should be the one groveling at your feet for forgiveness, not you!"

I bit my lip as Glimmer winced. "Katniss…" She says but Katniss cut her off. "I don't believe you're sorry." She said coldly. "Not until you can tell me why you're sorry, then I'll consider if you're really being sincere or not."

Glimmer looked down at her hands and mumbled, "I'm sorry…that I left you." She started. "I'm sorry that I let you down when you needed me most. I'm sorry that I spread those rumors about you, and I'm sorry for telling everyone about it. I'm sorry that I never gave you a real chance, and I'm…" Glimmer's voice broke. "I'm sorry that I didn't walk through that door when you opened it for me." She said.

"I knew that you were sorry." Glimmer explained. "I knew that you would take back that moment if you could, but I was really hurt. I didn't think that my own friend would do that to me, but what I did wasn't right, either. I should have just accepted that not everyone is perfect, and moved on. But I was angry, and I wanted to get back at you."

"I told you that we're done with, that you're not my friend anymore, right? And for a while, I was really glad that you were suffering. Every day you walked to school, I could still see that you were upset over it. And it made me feel really good, even though it was pathetic and selfish of me."

"I hated you a lot, and I told a bunch of people that you were a person to not be trusted, to insure that you wouldn't get any friends who would be around you again. And I'm sorry about that. I told you once that you were really low for pulling that stunt, but what I did…" Glimmer laughed bitterly.

"That was just as hurtful and mean." She finished. "I'm sorry, Katniss."

Katniss examined Glimmer carefully, as though she wasn't sure to completely give in or not. Then, Katniss sighed. "I'm sorry too, Glimmer." She murmured. "If I could take back that day and make it right again, I would."

We all stood there in awkward silence until the nurse walked into the office. "Katniss, honey, we called your mom. She's going to pick you up now." She says.

Katniss' eyes widened and she says, "I'm fine. I don't need to go home." The nurse shook her head sympathetically. "We tried to convince her of that, Katniss, but your mother really just wants you to be safe at your house for a while."

Katniss moaned and sat back down on the couch.

"This is just great." She muttered angrily and she twiddled with her fingers.

"So, what's it going to be?" Glimmer whispered and we all looked up at her. Glimmer was clutching her hands tightly together and she was biting her lips. "I don't really know what we should do after all of this." She explained.

Katniss grit her teeth. "I don't know, Glimmer." She says. "We can't exactly go back to the same ways, right?" Glimmer nodded slowly and looked down.

Katniss sighed and then said, "But I'm not some moron who pushes away everyone else just because they fought." Glimmer looked back up, her eyes strangely shiny.

"I stick close to my friends, and I always keep my promises when I say that I want to be friends with them." Katniss murmured and Glimmer gave her a small smile.

Katniss smiled back and I stared at the both of them in wonder until Katniss' mother arrived.

•◊•

"What was that all about?"

I heard Clove's voice coming from Glimmer's locker and strained my ears to hear.

"I apologized to Katniss." Glimmer says softly. "She deserves it. What I did to her was wrong, and I know that now."

I heard Clove snort and say, "Why did you apologize to her? She's the one who did the wrong thing in the first place!" I watched as Glimmer turned her head sharply to Clove and she narrowed her eyes. "She apologized first. She apologized the second she told me what she did. It was me who made it a lot worse."

Clove rolled her eyes and said, "You're not actually going to be friends with that loser, are you?" Glimmer slammed her locker shut and snapped, "Clove, shut up and go away." Clove's eyes widened. "What did I do?" She asks indignantly.

Glimmer tossed her hair behind her shoulder and glared at her. "Katniss isn't a loser. If anything, I was the loser for not realizing it sooner." On that note, she stomped away leaving a dumbstruck Clove.

I smiled to myself as I put away my books. I guess Glimmer was actually sincere, after all.

•◊•

I sighed when I walked into my room, unhappy that Katniss wasn't with me to walk home. I missed her company, even if it was only for a day.

I looked out the window and realized that Katniss was staring right at me. I jumped and smiled.

Katniss smirked at me and pulled up her pad, which read, '_Did you survive without me?' _I shrugged and wrote back, '_Yes. Just barely, but yes.' _

Katniss grinned and wrote, '_Did anything happen while I was gone?' _I shrugged again and wrote, '_Glimmer ditched Clove. Clove was calling you a loser and BAM; Glimmer gave her the cold shoulder for the rest of the day.' _Katniss tossed her head back laughing and wrote, '_It's good to see the old Glimmer again.' _I smiled and then went back to preparing for homework.

I was cranking up a couple of pages for an essay that was due two days from now when Rory stumbled into my room, his eyes brighter and happier than I've ever seen them.

"What's up, Rory?" I ask. Rory smiled and sat down on my bed. "Gale, I think I'm in love with Prim." He says breathily. I grinned. "I thought you just liked her." I say. Rory shook his head. "Nope. I love her and I'm never going to leave her."

I tousled Rory's hair and chuckled. "That's nice to know, sport." I say. "By the way, you better be a good boyfriend to Prim. Katniss says that she'll kill you if you don't." Rory shrugged happily and jumped off the bed. "I'm going to be the best for her." He says softly and ran into his room.

I sighed and went back to work, musing over the very concept that Rory was able to get Prim. Well, Katniss' younger sister was sweet and kind to everyone, so it's no doubt that Rory would like her. 'My little brother has better luck handling an Everdeen girl than me.' I think sourly and shook my head, trying to rid myself of these thoughts.

Prim and Rory were friends too, but how come Prim was able to think of him as more, but Katniss wasn't?

I smiled sadly at the window and sighed again. "Stop it, Gale." I whispered to myself. "Thinking about the impossible will never change anything."

•◊•

**A/N: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! Please! With cherries and sprinkles and everything, please! :) :) *gives puppy eyes* It would mean a lot...! ;) **


	12. Chapter 12

**HELLO PEOPLE! Sorry that I couldn't have posted this chapter a couple hours before like I usually do, but I got caught up with a couple of my friends and I was a little busy...but to make it up, I decided to make this chapter a BIT longer. Now that I've got that out of the way, THANK YOU SO SO SO MUCH FOR THE SUPPORT! I was so super pleased when I kept receiving emails on reviews, following, favoring, and etc. It means a heck lot to me and I shall show my gratitude by giving ya'll an Internet hug. *GLOMP* :) ;) :) *begins tearing up* You guys are now forever in my heart. :') On that note, read on and enjoy this chapter!**

Chapter 12.

Peeta—

"Judging from your expression, something good happened today." Kaden says when he walked into my room.

I grinned and nodded. Kaden sat himself down and looked at me with a grin on his face. "So, what is it?" He asks me.

"Katniss stood up to Glimmer today." I responded cheerfully. "And she did well." Kaden smiled. "That's good for you, sport. Did you do anything?" He asked.

I shook my head and Kaden clapped his hands. "That's what you gotta do. Take it nice and easy and let Katniss do her own thing." He says. I grinned. "I think she'll be okay now." I said cheerfully.

Kaden put up a hand. "Even if this Glimmer and Katniss situation is over, it doesn't mean that everything else will be." He says slowly. "What about the other problems? There's bound to be something else coming up to bother you."

I pursed my lips. Kaden was watching me critically and then I sighed. "There's one problem…" I say softly. Kaden raised an eyebrow. "What's that?" He asks me.

I hesitated, and then mumbled, "Katniss has a guy friend. I mean, like an actual boy who likes her…but is her friend all the same. Or at least, that's what Katniss says." Kaden made a face and muttered, "That's not going to go down easy, little brother."

I snorted. "I've already begun getting the glares and smirks from that guy." I say bitterly and powered up my computer. Kaden mulled this over and then asks, "Who's this guy?" I sighed. "Gale Hawthorne." I replied shortly.

Kaden blinked a couple of times, surprised, and then says, "Well, he shouldn't have much of a problem having girls like _him._" I rolled my eyes and responded, "Surprisingly enough, that is not making me feel any better."

Kaden grinned. "Relax, Peeta. If Katniss says that she and Gale are just friends, then they're just friends. Besides, from the way you're treating her, I would be surprised if she didn't have a thing for you already." He said teasingly as I flushed.

"Whatever, man." I say but secretly, I was pleased with Kaden's judgment. Kaden tossed a ball in the air and prepared to walk out of the room. "My advice to you about Gale is just, well, don't do anything about it. If Katniss tells him that she doesn't like him, then you shouldn't be worried about a thing." With that, he ruffled my hair and walked out of the room.

•◊•

"Well, look who's finally here." I say teasingly when Katniss took her seat in homeroom. Katniss smirked at me and I noticed that someone wasn't with her when she walked in.

"Where's Gale?" I asked, looking around if he was late or not. Katniss grimaced. "He wasn't feeling great this morning." She muttered to me. I winced.

Katniss sighed, sticking out her tongue. "He was throwing up, according to Vick." She explained. I raised an eyebrow. "Vick?" I ask questioningly. "He's Gale's little brother." Katniss answered. I nodded.

"Hey, Katniss." We looked up to see Glimmer shifting nervously in front of us.

Katniss gave her a small smile. "Hey." She says softly. Glimmer nods gratefully, as though relieved that nothing wrong happened. She took her seat behind Katniss and I glanced at her. She was looking down at her hands nervously and I knew the reason a couple of minutes later.

Mrs. Birch was not at all pleased when she found out what happened yesterday while she was absent.

"I cannot believe that you all were so immature!" Mrs. Birch says sharply. "To even THINK about having a child taunted like that is…horrific!" I winced as Mrs. Birch stomped over to Glimmer.

"You should be ashamed of yourself!" She shouted. I felt someone move next to me and when I looked, Katniss was standing, her eyes determined and strong.  
"Mrs. Birch, what happened yesterday wasn't entirely Glimmer's fault." She said softly. "There were other people involved, and it wasn't exactly a good thing to do, but we already heard Glimmer's apology. She doesn't need to be reminded of this anymore."

I watched with wide eyes as Mrs. Birch regarded Katniss warily. "You were the victim of the bullying, am I correct?" She asks. Katniss nodded reluctantly. Mrs. Birch sighed and crossed her arms. "Well, Glimmer, you should be glad that Katniss was gracious enough to forgive you. I will not be expecting more of this nonsense, do you hear me?" She says and walks back to her desk.

I turned to Katniss and grinned. 'Way to go.' I mouthed and Katniss flashed me a wide smile.

•◊•

"You will be working on a project on the causes of the American Revolutionary War today." Our history teacher, Mr. Feral, says when we walk into the classroom. I moaned inwardly but I took my seat.

"This project will be due next week, so I would advise for all of you to get working on this assignment immediately." Mr. Feral added and went back to writing on the board. "I have already assigned you all partners, so there is no need to begin grabbing each other like maniacs." He said calmly and the entire classroom slumped in disappointment.

Mr. Feral turned back to us and began rattling off names on a list.

I held my breath and closed my eyes, hoping that my partner would be a good person, not some cheater who doesn't work with me except to sign his name.

"Peeta Mellark, I have assigned you with Katniss Everdeen." Mr. Feral announces and my eyes snapped open.

I turned around to look at Katniss, who gave me a shy smile. I felt a ridiculous warm feeling in my stomach and I grinned.

Yep. My partner was DEFINITLEY a good person.

•◊•

"So, this is where you live?" Katniss asks me as we make our way up the porch.

I nodded.

This afternoon during lunch, I had asked Katniss to come over to my place to work on our project, and so here we were.

And I was pretty nervous. When we were walking home, I kept thinking that I was going to say something stupid, but Katniss seemed to like hearing me talk and I took this as a good sign.

I opened the door for her and we walked in. "Hey, Peeta, are you home from school already?" Kaden asks, surprised. I spread out my hands as though to say, 'duh'.

Kaden grinned and then he spotted Katniss. "You must be Katniss Everdeen!" Kaden says warmly. Katniss smiled shyly and nodded. Kaden gave me an evil smile and then says, "Peeta always talks about you."

I felt my cheeks flush and then made an indignant noise in the back of my throat. Kaden raised his hands up and then said, "Peeta, I have a friend over so try to keep it down with Katniss, okay?" I nodded and Kaden gave me a wink.

I waved it off and walked into my room.

Katniss looked around, her eyes wide with awe and then says, "I'm impressed." I jumped up and then asked, "What do you mean?" Katniss pointed at the drawings on my wall. "You're really good at art." She murmurs. I smiled goofily and shrugged.

"It's nothing." I muttered. Katniss raised an eyebrow. "Quit being so modest." She says and then turned back to the wall.

I smiled at her back and turned on my computer, ready to pull up some information of a sort. "I'm going to head to the bathroom, alright?" I say quickly and Katniss nodded.

I pulled myself out of the room and walked into the bathroom. As I washed my hands, I tried to shake off all of the giddiness coursing through my veins this very minute.

_Katniss Everdeen is in my room._

I grinned goofily through the mirror and sighed, walking out of the bathroom door. I stepped into my room and stopped dead as Katniss looked through files in my computer.

And not just any files.

She was looking through the pictures that I drew of her…of all of the memories I drew.

I held back a gasp and wordlessly headed over to her. Katniss was watching the screen with wide eyes and she looked up at me.

"What are you doing?" I ask in a low voice. Katniss searched my face slowly and then said, "Something popped up on the screen. I clicked on it…and it brought me here." She gestured to the screen.

"Peeta…do you really draw these all the time?" She whispers. I gulped and nodded. "So…would it be crazy if I asked you if you liked me?" She asked. I shook my head. "I…like you." I mumbled. Katniss' grey eyes still searched my face and then she put her hands around my neck.

I flinched but Katniss gave me a small smile. She whispered something and when I leaned closer to catch it, she was saying, "I like you, too."

I felt a rush of gladness come towards me and then Katniss tiptoed on her feet and pressed her lips against mine.

I felt my heart thudding hard against my chest and wrapped my arms around her waist, bringing her in closer. She made a little noise that sounded almost like mumbles of pleasure which brought a small smile on my face.

'Oh my god, so this is what it feels like.' I think giddily.

She closed her eyes and I closed mine. I wanted to just freeze this moment and stay here, and just-

"Am I…interrupting something?" I heard someone asked and I snapped open my eyes. Katniss blushed and she pushed herself off. I awkwardly wiped at my face and turned to look at the intruder.

A boy around my brother's age was leaning against the doorframe, looking at us with entertained eyes.

"Finnick, where are you?" I heard my brother shout and then Kaden came running in.

"Sorry, you guys." Kaden says breathlessly and then he blinked. He narrowed his eyes at me and then says, "Peeta, you have lip gloss on your mouth." I flushed and wiped at my mouth furiously.

Kaden's eyes darted from me to Katniss, then to me and Katniss again. He let out a whoosh of air and patted Finnick on the back.

"Did you see the entire thing?" He asks. His friend nodded cheerfully and Katniss turned into a more vivid shade of red.

"Everyone, I'd like to introduce you to Finnick Odair, the hottest guy in the school." Kaden says, smirking. I raised an eyebrow. Kaden grinned. "Finnick here may have broken the most hearts in the high school." He continued and I turned wordlessly to Katniss, who was raising both of her eyebrows nervously.

Finnick flashed a smile and chuckled. "Don't worry. I don't make a move on girls who are already taken." He says cheerfully and Katniss relaxed.

"Wait…what do you mean, already taken?" I asked, feeling warm at the face. Finnick grinned and pretended to snap a picture of us.

"You two are so cute together. Really." Finnick says, shaking his head.

I turned red and Katniss shifted from foot to foot nervously. Finally, Finnick grinned. "I hope you guys stay happy together." He says. "Any time you guys need me around, just call big brother Finnick." He added and walked out of the room.

•◊•

"This is my house." Katniss says, pointing at her home. Kaden nodded and stopped the car. She jumped out and I headed out after her.

She sighed happily and then wordlessly turned to the house next to hers.

"Is that Gale's house?" I asked quietly. Katniss startled, and then asked me, "How did you find out?" I shrugged. "The way you looked at that house…it made me think that someone you knew very well was in there." Katniss sighed. "I have to go check on him after I go home." She says. I nodded, smiling. "It's great that you look after your friends like that." I say.

Katniss tilted her head and her eyes sparkled mischievously. "It's great that I know that…you look after me, too." She whispered and reached down to squeeze my hand. I felt a warm, happy sensation in my stomach and gave her a shy smile. Katniss grinned and walked off to her house.

I stood there, sighing and then my eyes caught a movement in Gale's house in an upper window.

I narrowed my eyes, thinking I saw a figure in the window, but I shook my head.

It was just shadows.

Or at least, I hope so.

**A/N: What did you all think? Please please please review with sugar and sprinkles and cherries and everything you lurve on top! Please! :) **


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello everyone! I'm SO HAPPY! I was super excited when I received notifications on reviews, favoring, and following notes on my story...it made me began smiling like a maniac and pumping my fist in the air like, "YES!" It made me feel awesome and happy all around. :) So thank you guys...so much! ;) ;) ;) ^w^ A little side note: For those of you who are new to this story, I would just like to announce that I usually update daily, now that vacation has reached my home. :) Another thing: For those of you who think that Gale and Katniss should be together, I have a little gift for you guys in this chapter...you'll have to read what I mean. And yes, for those of you who are wondering, I do love torturing Gale...it's one of the pleasant awards of being a writer...*grins evilly* MWA HA HA HA! But seriously, I like Peeta and Katniss shipping, but sometimes, I'll allow myself to think a little deeper and like Gale and Katniss together...! :) Read on, and enjoy! XOXO**

Chapter 13.

Katniss—

"How was your little date?" Prim asks me cheerfully as I walked into my room. I blushed and threw my bag in the corner, preparing to walk back to Gale's house.

"What are you talking about?" I ask, blushing. Prim giggled and said, "When you called to say that you were working on a 'project' with Peeta, I figured that the 'project' was assigned from the subject of chemistry." I rolled my eyes. "Ha ha, very witty." I snort.

"But first of all, this project was assigned from history class and second of all, I don't even take chemistry." I say loftily. Prim shrugged. "Whatever you say." She said. I grinned and walked out the door.

I knocked on Gale's door and his mother, Hazelle opened it for me.

Hazelle was wiping her hands on an apron, smiling at me wearily as I stepped in. "It's good to see you, Katniss." She says and I grinned. "Gale's upstairs. Don't be loud, though. He's not really…comfortable at the moment." She added and I nodded. "You act like you don't know me, Hazelle." I say, chuckling and she managed to laugh.

I walked up the stairs and softly knocked on Gale's bedroom door. "Gale, it's me, Katniss." I whispered. I heard some shuffling in the room and I sighed. This wouldn't do.

I opened the door and braced myself for the worst. Gale was in his bed, breathing shallowly when I approached him. "Hey." I whispered and poked his shoulder. He looked horrible, to tell you the truth. His skin was pale and sweaty, and his breath was raspy and his chest shook each time he inhaled or exhaled. Gale's eyes opened and he mumbled something incoherent.

"Gale, come on." I say and helped him sit up. Gale rubbed his eyes and then said a bit louder, "Already back from having fun with Peeta?" I flinched and asked, "What do you mean?" Gale scowled at me and then said, "I saw you from my window."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "You did…what?" I asked. Gale's frown deepened and he continued, "I saw you getting cozy with him, so don't deny it." I chewed at the inside of my cheek and glared at him. "Gale, stop it." I say, annoyed. Gale shrugged and buried himself in his pillow.

"Why don't you go run to Peeta instead, I bet he'd just love for you to come back." He grumbled. I felt something in me snap and before I could stop myself, I grabbed a pillow and whapped it on Gale's head.

"What was that for?" He asked indignantly, rubbing the back of his head. "Quit being a moron and just consider yourself lucky that you're sick." I growled and put the pillow down. Gale winced and asked, "How is being sick lucky again?"

I crossed my arms. "If you weren't sick, I would have thrown you out the window for suggesting that Peeta and I were getting 'cozy'." I snapped. Gale regarded me tiredly and then buried his head in his pillow again. "Leave me alone, Katniss." He grumped. I smirked. "No, I'm not leaving you alone, not after what you just said." I replied.

Gale moaned and yanked the covers over his head. "Quit being a little baby." I said, annoyed. Gale didn't respond. He lifted his head back up and began coughing into his fist. "See? You're not okay." I told him triumphantly.

"Please, Katniss, just go away if you're going to bug me this entire time." He says in between coughs. I sighed and sat him up. "Gale, you should know by now that I don't leave my friends in the dust like that." I said tiredly and Gale nodded weakly.

"Come on, Gale, you stink." I say and hoisted him off his bed, leading him to his bathroom. I half-carried, half-dragged Gale into the bathroom and he had to lean against the door frame as I started the water up for him in the shower.

"Katniss, I'm not a baby. I could do it myself." He mumbled to me but I rolled my eyes. "Yes, you are a baby, so shut up and wash yourself." I snapped and left him to be alone in the bathroom.

My eyes swept through the room and I sighed. Gale's bedroom was a mess and the least I could do would to clean it up, at least. I was dragging the last pile of sweaty clothes into the hamper when I heard an awful noise coming from the bathroom.

I winced and prepared myself for the worst when I opened the bathroom door. Thank goodness that Gale was already dressed, but he was leaned over the toilet, vomiting up the stuff from his stomach. I recoiled as the smell hit me first but sighed.

I walked over to him and patted his back as bile continued to fall out of his mouth. Gale began to shake and he finally leaned back, tears welled up in his eyes from the constant barfing.

I flushed the toilet without saying a word and helped Gale walk out of the bathroom. "I hate being sick." Gale mumbled to me as I put his bed covers over him. I smirked. "I think everyone hates being sick." I retorted.

Gale let out a sigh and he dug a little deeper into his pillow. Just as I turned to leave, Gale's hand shot out from underneath the blankets and grabbed mine.

I turned around sharply, unsure of what to do.

"Do you have to go?" Gale whined. I felt a lump come up my throat and I tried hard to swallow it down. "I'll stay a little longer, Gale." I said slowly. "Because that's what friends do."

Gale's eyes were closed and I could tell that sleep was already dragging him down. "Friends. Right." Gale mumbled, his speech a bit more slurred. "Whyddya gotta hur' me like tha', Katniss?" He asked and I bit my lip. "Gale, shut up. You're talking nonsense." I say through gritted teeth.

"Maybe, maybe." Gale said lazily. "But I like you a lot, Katniss…don't forge' tha'." I made a little noise in the back of my throat and then ripped my hand away. Gale's eyes cracked open and he smirked at me. "See? You already hate it." With that, he closed his eyes and sank into sleep.

I stood in the corner of Gale's bedroom, confused and upset over what just happened. Then, I sighed. I walked over slowly to him and brushed my hands over his hair. "I'm so sorry, Gale." I whispered. "I didn't mean to hurt you like this…just…hang on, okay?"

I sighed again and closed my eyes. I smiled sadly at him and whispered, "I'm going to be as glad as hell when you don't remember this when you wake up." Before I could resist, I leaned down and planted a gentle kiss on his forehead.

When I righted myself back up, I squeezed his hand and exited myself out of the room before I could burst into tears.

•◊•

"How was Gale?" Prim asks me during dinner. I grimaced. "He wasn't that great." I said and poked at my food.

My mother watched me carefully and then said, "Katniss, how do you feel about Gale?" I looked up sharply and then said, "He's my friend. No more, no less." My mother smiled sadly. "That's exactly what I said about your father, you know. When I first met him? I said that he was a good friend, but those years go by and, well…unexpected things happen."

Somehow, this rubs me off the wrong way and I snapped, "Oh yeah, you married your best friend and suddenly, he's dead. Yep, that's definitely the life I want to live with Gale."

There was a shocked silence that spread at our table and Prim turned over to me, her eyes wide. "Katniss…" She whispered and I bit my lip. My mother regarded me sadly and then nodded. "Alright, Katniss." She murmured and stood up, clearing the dishes.

I felt guilt roaring through my head but instead of apologizing, I stood up and marched up the stairs to my room. I sighed and closed the door behind me softly. I looked out my bedroom window and was pleasantly surprised to see that Gale's window was still open, and I could see him sleeping on his bed from here.

I watched on sadly as Gale sat up, coughing and then shaking underneath his blankets. I saw Hazelle come into his room, feeding him medicine, only he began to throw it right back up until she stopped him.

I sighed and snapped the blind folds shut.

Poor Gale.

It really did hurt to see him like this, and I knew that he probably wouldn't be able to come to school tomorrow, either.

Well, at least I'll be able to spend some time with Peeta, right?

I grinned to myself but stopped quickly after as guilt spiked into my heart.

"Gah!" I groaned and banged my head on the wall softly. Why was everything so complicated? I sighed and sat myself down on my bed.

I liked Peeta a lot. In fact, all day, I only think about him because he's just so…safe and good to be around.

But with Gale, well, what could I say?

I sighed and leaned my head against the pillow.

Gale was smart, funny, kind, and he was just…comfortable. I could see him as my best friend, nothing more, nothing less. It was just meant to be for us to be friends, right?

But at the same time, I had kissed him…sort of. He kissed me once, and I had just kissed him on the forehead for heaven's sake!

I sighed again and pulled the covers over my head.

"This is so stupid." I grumbled and closed my eyes.

•◊•

"Gale's not feeling well still, right?" Peeta asks sympathetically and I nodded.

"I went to visit him last night. He…was watching us from the window." I muttered to him. Peeta's eyebrows raised and then he mumbles, "So that's what I saw." I raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" I asked.

Peeta sighed and told me, "When I looked up at Gale's house, I saw something through one of the upper windows, right? Well, I thought I saw someone or something moving around, but when I paid closer attention to it, there was nobody there. I figured that it was just shadows, but apparently not."

I bit my lip. "He told me that he saw everything." I murmured. Peeta clasped his hands together and then he winced. "This is all my fault." He mumbled and my eyes widened. "Peeta, don't say that. It was never your fault." I say.

Peeta shook his head miserably. "Gale liked you first, Katniss…you should just…keep it like that." He finished and turned back around, leaving me more confused and upset than ever.

•◊•

"Are you going to check on Gale again today?" Prim asks me and I shook my head.

"Why not?" She asked me, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't think…he really wants visitors right now." I said softly and put my bag in the corner. Prim sighed. "You know, you're Gale's friend. He needs some cheering up right now." I felt my cheeks flush and managed to say, "I was just at his house yesterday."

Prim shook her head. "I feel bad for him, you should know that." She whispered and walked out of my room. I sighed and looked out the window, hoping that I would at least be able to peek at how Gale was doing.

Sadly, the blinds were snapped shut and I couldn't see a thing.

I let out another sigh and began twirling my pencil around my fingertips.

"Don't let sympathy rule over who you like, Katniss." I whispered to myself, but I looked out the window again. "Gale…" I whispered and shook my head.

Who did I really like?

Used to, I would say Peeta in a heartbeat, but now I was having second thoughts.

Dangerous second thoughts.


	14. Chapter 14

**Whoever said that my story was going to be straight forward? DEFINITLEY NOT ME! :) *grins evilly* I am having the time of my life torturing Gale and Peeta and Katniss...! :) **

**Katniss: Wait, WHAT?! YOU'RE DOING THIS ON PURPOSE?!**

**Me: *scoots away* Maaaaaaaaybe...**

**Gale: You have GOT to be kidding me! *moans***

**Me: Quit being babies.**

**Peeta: Just...get on with the note. -_-**

**Me: Gladly.**

**Is it weird that I'm having a conversation with characters from the Hunger Games? Of course not! Or at least, I hope not...-_- Anyways, I was planning on updating a couple of hours earlier, but something came up...also known as a temporary writing block. :( But thankfully, I solved it within a couple of hours, when usually, I would have solved the writing block within a couple of days. Or weeks. Or even months, in extreme cases. Thank the lord that it wasn't extreme! :) So, on that note...READ ON! :) **

Chapter 14.

Gale—

"Gale, wake up, please." I heard someone whisper in my ear and I moaned. "Leave me alone…" I mumbled and turned my head over, wincing as pain struck through my head. It didn't help the pounding in my brain, either.

"Gale, come on." The person continued to whisper and I finally opened my eyes.

Katniss was looking down at me wearily and I blinked a couple of times to make sure that she was really there.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, wincing at the hoarseness of my voice. Katniss pouted. "Can't I just see my friend to make sure he's going to live?" She asked, grinning teasingly.

I coughed into my fist and rasped out, "No." Katniss frowned and busied herself by feeling my forehead. "You look awful." She says, her eyebrows furrowing. I managed to smile and said, "Thanks for that."

Katniss turned pink and said, "No, I mean you…look ready to drop. Did you take any medicine whatsoever?" I shrugged. "I'm only supposed to take it every once in a while." I answered.

Katniss sighed and pulled the covers to my face. She smoothed out my hair and then froze. She pulled her hand back and bit her lip. I couldn't help but to feel bitter.

"Oh, right. I forgot. You can't do that without worrying about your boyfriend, right?" I say. Katniss' eyes were lit ablaze and she glared at me. "Gale, give it a rest!" She said, exasperated. "Don't you think I'm getting hurt by this, too? Don't you think I'm just as confused as you are? I don't know what to do, and now you're acting like THIS, and…quit acting like a baby and just…stop it!"

My eyes widened and she stopped, breathing hard. "Katniss, I-" I started but she raised a hand. "Shut up, Gale." She says softly. "Get some rest and take care of yourself for once instead of moping around."

I nodded and Katniss helped me swallow down some pills.

I watched her carefully and then she sighed. She set down the water glass that she was holding for me and then brushed the hair from her eyes.

"I'm sorry." She whispered and I raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" I asked. Katniss fidgeted with her fingers.

"I'm sorry that you have to go through all of this pain…I never meant for you to be this hurt…" She whispered and I felt as though ice had just frozen my blood.

"Katniss, it's okay." I whispered. "I was being a jerk in the first place."

Katniss shook her head. "I'm just so…confused." Her voice broke. "I don't know what to do and I just feel like the entire world doesn't understand and now you're hurt and upset and…it's making me scared." She whimpered and looked away from me.

I sighed and sat up. I took her hand and she stiffened. She looked down at it and I squeezed it.

"Katniss…I know that you're confused. But don't worry about me anymore, okay?" I tried to give her a brave smile but it broke a second after.

Katniss looked at my face, and gave me a small smile. However, just as quickly as it came, it disappeared.

She slumped over her chair and then, shaking her head, flew out of the room.

•◊•

"Gale?" Rory asks me softly from the doorway.

I looked up wearily. "What's up?" I say, rubbing my eyes.

"Katniss left." He said shortly and I nodded. Rory walked in and sat on my bed. "What happened?" He asked me. I grimaced and ran a hand through my hair. "Katniss…is confused." I managed to mutter. Rory raised an eyebrow.

"Meaning, she's upset?" Rory asks, crossing his arms. I nodded. Rory bit his tongue and then said thoughtfully, "Prim did tell me that Katniss has been acting strange lately."

I looked up; worry fresh in my mind now. "What are you talking about?" I asked. Rory shrugged. "She told me that Katniss has been seeing Peeta a lot more, you know, Peeta Mellark?" He said and I felt as though someone kicked me in the chest.

I nodded wordlessly. "Well, I guess Katniss is just confused about him. I don't know." He said. I nodded again. "But, Gale…do you like Katniss?" Rory asks me. I laughed bitterly.

"Maybe." I replied. Rory smiled sympathetically at me. "Oh." He says. "That…stings."

"Rory, it's fine." I said. "Katniss has no need to be upset about it anymore because, well, I'm just going to make it…easier for her now."

Rory raised an eyebrow and then frowned. "What do you mean by that?" He asked me. I sighed. "I'm…trying to not let her see if I'm hurt or not." I said carefully. Rory stood up and said, "That's not smart, Gale. If you pretend that you're okay, Katniss will only be more upset. Besides, she's your friend and she knows you better than most."

On that note, he walked out of my bedroom and left me by myself to think of what to do.

•◊•

I looked out the window right before I went to bed, hoping that I would see Katniss.

I wasn't disappointed.

I watched silently as Katniss crawled into the covers of her bed, looking worn out and tired. I flinched and dropped to the ground as she tried looking at my window.

I let out a sigh of relief to know that Katniss couldn't have seen me.

When I looked back up, Katniss' window was shut and I began to wander back to my bed.

I sighed and closed my eyes.

"Peeta." I snorted into the darkness. "Who asked for him to be around?"

•◊•

According to my mom, I could stay at home for one last day and tomorrow, I'll be back on my feet again.

I was weary to agree with those terms but decided that I needed a break, anyways.

Katniss crept into my room this morning before school and gave me a timid good-bye. I nodded in acknowledgement, but we both felt the tension on our shoulders over what happened last night.

She left my room silently and I sighed.

Time passed and I ventured around the house, looking for something to do, but nothing exciting came.

"Just sit down and catch up on school work." My mother tells me after I finished my fifth lap of circling the house.

Huffy and bored, I sat down at my desk, writing out homework and beginning research on a history project that was due next week, which, apparently, I have to work on by _myself _because there weren't any partners left.

I sighed and looked bitterly out the window.

Katniss got to be paired up with Peeta, and I was paired up with nobody.

That didn't exactly make me feel any better.

Growling in frustration, I threw my books off the desk and focused on stomping around my room.

"Quit being annoying, Gale." I muttered under my breath. "You're being a jerk about everything. You promised yourself that you would deal with Katniss liking Peeta, right?"

I sighed, frustrated and shouted, "BUT I WAS HERE FIRST!"

Mom poked her head in my room, her eyebrows furrowed in concern.

"Gale, what's the matter?" She asks me. I sat down on my bed, breathing hard. "Nothing." I replied sullenly.

Mom smirked at me and sat down next to me. "What's going on, Gale?" She asks me. "You can tell me."

I didn't say anything.

Mom bit her lips and then put her hands on her hips.

"Does it have anything to do with Katniss?" She asks and I froze. A smile was playing at her lips and she knew that she had hit a sore subject.

"So what if it is?" I asked, kicking at the ground.

My mother sighed and asks, "You like her a lot, don't you?"

I nodded wordlessly.

Mom smiled. "It wasn't much of a surprise, you know." She says. I raised a shoulder. "She likes Peeta." I blurted out angrily. "I was here first. Peeta doesn't even KNOW Katniss that well; he doesn't know a single FREAKING thing…" My mother frowned. "How can you be sure of that? Who knows, maybe he liked her for a long time, and decided to finally do something about it."

I rolled my eyes. "That isn't helping." I muttered and Mom chuckled. "Gale, there is an old saying about this." She says quietly.

I harrumphed. I wasn't really in the mood for a lecture right now, especially about…_girls. _

If my mother sensed that I was growing impatient, she didn't show it. Instead, she continued to talk. "It basically says that if you love the person, then you can let her or him go…and if it's true love, she or he will come right back to you. No matter what." She whispered.

Mom gave me a half-hearted smile. "If you really love her, then she'll come back. You'll see." She squeezed my hand and walked out of the room.

I sat there, and then sighed.

"Boy, if I had a nickel every freaking time someone told me to wait…" I muttered darkly to myself and walked over to my desk.

•◊•

"Gale, it is nice of you to join us at last." Mrs. Birch says, raising an amused eyebrow at me. I smiled apologetically to her and took my seat.

"Finally back?" Peeta asks warmly and I nodded. He grinned. "That's good to hear."

I narrowed my eyes at him and turned around, shaking my head.

Of course, leave it to Peeta to be so agreeable and sweet. That kid probably doesn't know a single thing about standing up and being tough.

Katniss sneaked me a smile and I smiled back grudgingly.

She and I were still on awkward terms, but I figured that as long as I didn't bring up the incident, we'd be in safe waters…for now, at least.

"Just a couple more weeks till the Halloween dance, folks!" I heard Mrs. Birch say cheerily, pointing at the calendar.

A cheer burst out from the classroom and I glanced at Katniss. She was smiling faintly and I leaned back, surprised. I didn't really expect that Katniss would be that excited for it but then it dawned to me.

You were allowed to bring dates to this dance.

_Oh…_

I scowled at my desk. No doubt it, Katniss was going with Peeta.

I sighed and began to doodle onto an empty page in my notebook. This was all stupid.

Plain.

Stupid.

'You wouldn't have thought that if Katniss asked you.' A little voice in the back of my head whispers but I waved it off.

•◊•

"Did anyone ask you to the dance yet?" Katniss asks me casually as we waited in line for lunch.

I shook my head and Katniss raised an eyebrow. "I thought you would by now." She says and grabbed a tray.

Now it was my turn to raise an eyebrow. "Why would you say that?" I asked, stuffing my hands in my pockets. Katniss flipped her braid over her shoulder and said, "Well, a couple of girls nearby were daring each other to ask you…you know, to prove who was the bravest to go out with a hunk like you."

I felt my cheeks flush and then stopped. I narrowed my eyes at her and smirked. Unless I was mistaken, I could have sworn I heard a subtle note of jealousy in Katniss' voice.

"Wait…why would you be curious about a bunch of girls wanting to ask me out?" I asked, grabbing a tray.

Katniss put her nose in the air and says, "Who said I was curious?" I grinned. "It's all over your face, Katniss." I said loftily. Katniss gave me a sharp glare and muttered, "Shut up."

I turned to her, amusement no doubt gleaming through my eyes.

"Wait, Katniss…are you actually _jealous_?" I ask, incredulous. Katniss cleared her throat and walked ahead of me. "I'm starving, what's for lunch?" She asks to no one in particular and I grinned after her retreating figure.

All of a sudden, the day just got a lot better.

**A/N: Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaseeeeeeeeee eeeeee REVIEW! Please please please please please! :) It makes me write faster, and even though I update daily, I still need inspiration and good feelings to keep me going...(I know, I sound like a cheesy commercial, but PLEASE!) Pretty please? *makes cute whimpering noises with humongous Bambi eyes* **


	15. Chapter 15

**Hello peoples! I am back! :) I want you guys to all know that I am EXTREMLY thankful for all of the reviews that you guys gave me, not to mention the follows and favorites...it means a LOT to me. ;) It makes me want to write more, and it also makes me totally thankful for what I have...! Anyways, I had a little fun writing this chapter and I hope you guys will like this installment! Quick thing: I KNOW THAT I HAVE MENTIONED THIS JUST ABOUT TEN MILLION TIMES BUT PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE BEAR WITH ME! Okay, did I get your attention? Thank you. Um, so I'm sorry if you guys are reading this for the ten millionth time...but I really want you guys to listen to the song 'Echo' by Jason Walker and tell me what you think of it...I know what you're thinking: "PLEASE, KATIEROSEFUN, SHUT UP ABOUT THAT SONG!" But please, I WILL NOT STOP BOTHERING YOU GUYS ABOUT IT UNTIL YOU GUYS WRITE HOW YOU THOUGHT OF IT BECUASE THIS SONG ISN'T THAT FAMOUS AND THAT SUCKS AND I REALLY WANT MORE PEOPLE TO LISTEN TO IT! PLEASE! Ok, freaky Katierosefun is gone now. You guys can come out from the hidey-holes while I was screaming...! -_-" Anyways...Enjoy!**

Chapter 15.

Peeta—

"Hey." I say softly, tugging Katniss' braid when she sat down. Katniss flashed a smile at me and Gale came up from behind her.

He narrowed his eyes at me and then says, "What are you doing here?" I bit my lip and thought of saying something smarmy along the lines of, "What's the matter with me being here?" Instead, Katniss jumped in.

"Gale, don't be so rude." She said coldly.

"Who said I was being rude?" Gale snapped. Katniss rolled her eyes and whispers in a loud voice, "Don't mind him. He's just being a jerk."

Gale harrumphed and sat down across from me, next to Katniss.

"What's up?" I ask lightly, eating my lunch. "Everything is fine." Gale says shortly. Katniss shot a glare at him and then turns back to me.

"I can't believe that our project is due five days away from now." She says unhappily, poking at her food.

"We'll just have to work harder on it." I say kindly and Gale looks over at me stiffly. "You two shouldn't be complaining." He says gruffly. "I have to work on the project alone, remember?"

Katniss sighed. "But you're GOOD at projects…I'm pretty messy." She wrinkled her nose and I laughed. "You still have me." I say, smirking. Katniss grins. "That's a definite plus." She said softly.

I beamed at her but my smile faltered as I caught sight of Gale scowling at me. "Right." I cleared my throat and turned my attention back to lunch.

"So…anything new since I was gone?" Gale asked innocently. I raised an eyebrow at him. He narrowed his eyes at me and I winced.

Katniss, completely oblivious to all of this, says, "Besides everything that I told you? Erm…don't think so." Then, she brightened up. "Well, we met Finnick." She says. Gale turns away from me and asks, "Who's Finnick?"

I snorted and threw out my lunch.

"According to all the girls in the upper grades, he's only the greatest guy in the world…" I muttered and Gale actually looked at me sympathetically.

Katniss blushed and stuttered, "No! I don't mean it like that! Jeez…besides, he said that he leaves girls who are…" She cleared her throat and looked down at her tray.

"I'm starving." She murmurs and digs into her meal, avoiding eye contact with Gale and me.

I felt a familiar stab of guilt as Gale looked at her painfully. I already knew what she was going to say, of course, and I wouldn't have minded her saying it…except Gale was right there.

"Hurry up, Katniss." I say to break the silence between us. "We've only got two minutes left of lunch."

I kept my tone light and friendly, but I could already sense that the uneasiness was still settling amongst us.

"Thanks, Peeta." Katniss responded and I pretended to examine the clock. Gale cleared his throat and then muttered something along the lines of, "I have to go to the bathroom."

He stood up and walked away before we could stop him.

Katniss bit her lip and watched him leave. "I shouldn't have said that…" She whispered. I sighed. "It's not your fault, Katniss." I say softly.

She swallowed and wrinkled her brow. "It's just…everything's mixed up, you know?" She says. "Ever since…well, the beginning of the school year…Gale has been acting…funny." She sighed and threw out her lunch as the bell rang.

"Give him some time." I say reassuringly. "He'll come back around." Katniss nodded and gave me a small smile. "Thanks, Peeta." She says quietly and I gave her shoulder a squeeze. "No problem." I replied and we departed for our lockers.

•◊•

"The Boston Tea Tax was an important role on the causes of the American Revolution, right?" I ask Katniss when we walked into my house.

Katniss nodded and searched through her bag for her notes.

It's been the third day that Katniss has come to my house for our project, and we would have walked over to her house today, but since Gale was there…it would be dangerous.

"I've got the poster board for our project." Katniss says and waves the thick, Styrofoam block of white around my face. I nodded and we walked into my bedroom.

"I cranked up a couple of pages on the causes of the American Revolution last night." I said and started up my computer. Katniss nodded. "That's impressive." She says and I managed to crack a smile at her.

"So…let's see it." She said and leaned over my shoulder.

I closed my eyes for a minute, savoring the feeling of her breath against my neck. It tickled and I felt exhilaration rushing towards me.

I opened my eyes and chided to myself for being distracted.

Katniss let out a low whistle as she read my paragraphs. "Impressive, Peeta, but I think I can make some corrections." She says and pushes me out of the chair teasingly.

I grinned and watched her slender fingers tap the keys quickly. "There." She says triumphantly after a couple of minutes. "It looks much better."

I read it over and smiled. "Well, it definitely does." I complimented and she leapt out of the chair. I set the documents to print while I searched for pencils and paint brushes to begin working on our poster with.

"I'm thinking of painting the entire poster board as the United States of America's flag." I say, concentrating on choosing the right paint. Katniss murmured in agreement. "That would definitely be impressive." She says.

I finally chose out the right shade of red and blue and began to pick out a thick-haired paint brush. "You want me to help?" Katniss asked and I nodded.

I put a paintbrush in her hand and she dipped it in the blue paint, carefully mimicking my strokes to make a strip of blue across the board.

"You're putting too much pressure on the brush." I say softly and gently led her hand over the board. Katniss smiled faintly at me and whispered, "Thanks."

I felt my face flush and managed to smile back at her. "You're welcome." I whispered back.

"Knock, knock!"

I jumped as Kaden strolled into my bedroom. He grinned when he looked over our work so far.

"How's it going?" Kaden asked casually and Katniss shrugged. "We're definitely ahead of schedule." I replied. "We might actually be done within a couple of days." Kaden nodded and then says, "I'm sure that the project will come out great." Katniss smiled warmly at the compliment.

"So what's new?" I asked, focusing on painting another stripe of red. "Nothing much." Kaden says, tossing a ball in the air. "I'm just bored." I put down my paintbrush. "You two wanna go hang outside for a little bit?" He asks. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Kaden, come on, we're busy." I protested. Kaden made a little whimpering noise and said, "Peeta, think about all of the times I helped you out." His eyes flicked over to Katniss and I felt my cheeks turn red.

I sighed and turned to Katniss.

"Do you like to run?"

•◊•

It turns out, Katniss likes to run.

_Very much._

She just about kicked Kaden's butt at mostly every sport that we tried to play and at last, Kaden sat down, exhausted.

"How about…a friendly game…of hide-and-go-seek instead?" He asked, panting.

Katniss smirked. "Whatever. Try to keep on your toes." She says, putting her hands on her hips. We burst out laughing until the back door slid open and a blond hair popped out at us.

Katniss raised an eyebrow and then says, "Prim, what are you doing here?" I startled and turned. "I'm just here to ask when you're going to come home." Prim says cheerfully and Katniss crossed her arms.

"You do realize that you could have just called me on my phone, right?" She says, narrowing her eyes at her. Prim shrugged and walked towards us, bouncing at each step. "You never pick up." Prim says easily. Then, her eyes brightened. "I overheard that you guys were going to play hide-and-go-seek!" She exclaims. Katniss sighed. "Prim, why can't you just go bother Rory or something?" She asks tiredly.

Prim pouted. "Rory is at baseball practice." She says pointedly and Katniss sighed. She turned to Kaden, who shrugged.

"If she's as quick as you, then we won't have much of a problem." Kaden said. Prim leapt up, clapping her hands.

"Great!" She says happily. "Should we get into teams?" Kaden raised an eyebrow and cleared his throat. "Sure…um, Prim, you'll be paired up with Peeta…and I'll be with Katniss for this one." He says. I mentally groaned, but Kaden shot me a glare.

"I think we both deserve to have a quick runner on each team." Kaden says. I raised my hands in protest. "I'm pretty fast!" I say defensively. Kaden rolled his eyes and I relented. "Fine." I muttered and turned back to Prim, who gave me a bright smile.

"We'll seek." She says and Katniss nodded. I watched Kaden and Katniss run off and sighed. "We'll be counting to twenty!" Prim calls after them.

I closed my eyes and Prim began shouting out the numbers by order.

"…eighteen, nineteen, twenty! Ready or not, here we come!" Prim finally yelled and she nudged me.

"I'll go search for Kaden, you go look for your girlfriend." She says quickly and I nodded. Only a second later do I skid to a stop and yelled at her, "Wait, Prim, she's not my…" I let my sentence drift and shook my head.

"What the hell." I muttered and ran off.

I ran around the yard, searching for any nooks and crannies that Katniss might be able to hide in. I thought I saw her in the garage, but when I checked, she wasn't there.

I sighed and ran back outside.

"I found you!" I heard Prim squeal, followed by Kaden's grumbling about having a twelve year old girl find him.

I smirked at his direction and turned my attention back to finding Katniss.

I sat down on the ground, contemplating on where to find her when a leaf drifted down my shoulder and I looked up to find Katniss sitting on top of a branch.

I smiled and stood up.

"I found you." I say and clambered up the tree with her.

"I was wondering how long it would take you." Katniss says, poking my shoulder playfully.

"No one bothers to look up, to tell you the truth." I admitted and Katniss nodded in agreement. "So, what's with Rory and Prim?" I asked. "Who's Rory, anyways?" Katniss bit her lip and then she mumbled, "Rory is Gale's younger brother…and Prim is sort of…dating him…"

I let it sink in and then nodded. "Well, that must…feel a little awkward." I say stiffly and Katniss' lips twitched into a smile.

"I'm happy for the two of them, though." She says softly. "It just doesn't always help with…Gale around." I sighed and climbed down the tree, Katniss following me.

"What's wrong?" Katniss asked me as I sat down on the ground. I looked up at her and tore at a clump of grass surrounding my feet.

"Can we just…forget about Gale for a second?" I asked and flinched at the notes of annoyance in my voice. I couldn't help it any longer.

"I just want to…believe that you're mine just for a while…without worrying about Gale…" I said a bit quieter. "I know that Gale means a lot to you…but if it hurts this much…then I'm not going to bother having…you…" I finished and looked back down at my legs.

I heard Katniss sigh and then she sat down next to me. Her fingers entwined with mine and she says, "I'm sorry, Peeta. I hate this as much as you do…but can you please hang on for a little longer? At least, until we can figure this all out? I'm sorry that I have to ask you to wait, but…just please wait for me."

I looked up at her, at her grey, intense eyes that were staring right into my blue ones.

"I'll wait." I said in a small voice and Katniss gave me a faint smile.

"Thank you, Peeta." She whispered.

**A/N: Please review! Pretty please! I know that I'm saying 'please' a lot in the author notes...but please...? :) **


	16. Chapter 16

**Hiya peoples! I'm updating a couple hours earlier than normal because I was working on this chapter last night, and I actually finished it yesterday, when I was expecting to finish it today. So woo-hoo for getting ahead of schedule! Another thing: So, I'm not really sure how many Star Wars: The Clone Wars fans are out there here who are also reading my Hunger Games story, but just in case you DO like Star Wars: The Clone Wars, I whipped up a mini-story yesterday and it's online now. :) So if you like Star Wars, check it out when you have the chance. ;P On that note, read on! :)**

Chapter 16.

Katniss—

Prim did not stop talking until we finally reached our house.

"That was fun, don't you think?" She asks me and I nodded wearily. I snuck a glance at Peeta, who grinned at me.

Prim caught our sudden exchange and thankfully decided to remain silent until we had come to our door.

"I'll go in first." She says and walked into our house, leaving Peeta and me alone.

"Well, that took a while." I said at last, and Peeta chuckled. "She's so energetic…and happy…I'm jealous of you." Peeta says, shaking his head.

"She's the best." I admitted and held his hand. Peeta smiled at me and kissed me on the forehead.

"Are you sure you'll be able to walk home by yourself?" I asked anxiously, glancing around. "It's going to get dark soon."

Peeta shrugged. "I'll be fine. If I run into any trouble, I'll just call my brother to pick me up." I nodded uneasily and squeezed his hand.

"Be careful, okay?" I whispered. Peeta nodded and I walked into my house, smiling like a fool over what just happened.

I floated up to my room where Prim was waiting for me patiently.

"So…would you like to explain the hearts that are floating around your head?" She asked in a singsong voice. I blushed and muttered, "What hearts?"

Prim shrugged and said, "Katniss, I think you should stay with Peeta." I grinned and tugged at her hair. "Why do you say that, little duck?" I asked playfully. Prim shrugged again and said, "It's because he makes you happy. You always look happy around him."

With that, she left my room.

I raised an eyebrow at her retreating back and then sighed, shaking my head.

I loved Prim to death, but sometimes, what she understands and says can surprise me.

I risked taking a glance at Gale's window, wondering if he was working on his own project and frowned when I realized that he wasn't there.  
I cocked my head, wondering where he could be.

Maybe he was in the shower?

I was about to turn my attention back to washing myself when I heard a surprised shout and a loud slapping noise.

I stiffened and looked out my window again. This time, my eyes traveled downwards, to the space between Gale and my house.

Peeta was clutching his arm painfully while Gale was yelling something, no doubt something harsh and cruel.

Biting my lip, I stomped down the stairs and ran out the door.

"What do you think you two are doing?!" I screamed at the boys when I finally reached them.

Gale looked up, startled while Peeta turned around slowly to face me.

My voice was trembling and my hands were clenching and unclenching themselves into fists.

"What do you think you two are doing?!" I screamed, causing them both to wince.

"Nothing." Gale said gruffly.

"Right, because I shouldn't be worried _at all _that I just heard someone being slapped around." I say sarcastically and my friend frowned.

"What happened?" I asked, feeling my patience wear thin.

"Katniss, you should stay out of this." Gale says in a low voice. I put my hands on my hips. "I'm sorry, but in case you didn't just listen to me, I think I deserve to know why the hell Peeta's gripping his arm like someone just stabbed it and why your hands are clenching as we speak!"

Gale cringed and unclenched his hands, promptly putting them behind his back where he could ball them up into fists in peace.

"Nothing serious happened, Katniss." Peeta said quickly, his face flushing pink. "I just…bumped into the wall, that's all."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Then why is Gale here?" I asked suspiciously. "It's because…erm…he heard me yell and he came out to make sure I was okay…?" Peeta's voice trailed off into a question.

I sighed and said, "You are a horrible liar, Peeta." Peeta rolled his eyes and says, "And that's a thing I'm supposed to be ashamed about?" I let out a whoosh of air and said, "Spit it out."

Peeta bit his lip and shot a nervous glance at Gale.

For a couple of minutes, the only movement was of Gale and Peeta silently glowering at each other, as though to dare each other what to say first.

"Fine!" I yelled and held up my hands. "You know what? I'll just ask a question and you guys answer yes or no…_truthfully_." I said coldly, shooting a glare at Gale's direction.

He shrugged and muttered an agreement.

I leaned against the house and asked, "Does this fight include me?"

"Yes." Gale answered sullenly just as Peeta nods slowly.

'Check.' I think bitterly to myself but said, "Gale, did you hit Peeta?"

There was an awkward silence but Gale finally mumbled, "Yes."

'Check again.' I think and continued, "Would I make sure that you two were six feet underground if I ever found out what really happened?"

There was a short pause and then Peeta muttered, "Yes."

I sighed and shook my head. "Lucky for you two, I would rather not face this ridiculous drama that's in BOTH of your heads." I said darkly. "So move it, or lose it."

Gale glared at me but he trudged back to his house while Peeta whipped out his cell phone and began calling his brother.

"Kaden will be here within five minutes." Peeta says and tucks his phone back in his pants pocket.

I nodded listlessly and I felt Peeta looking at me.

"Sorry, Katniss." He mumbled and I shrugged the apology away. "Whatever." I mumbled. "That's what guys do, right? When they're mad at each other, they fight without even thinking for a split second how it might affect other people."

Peeta winced at the comment but he sighed. "Katniss, I didn't mean to hurt you like that." He says but my head snapped up to glare at him.

"Everyone says that to me!" I yelled, tears welling in my eyes.

"Everyone says that they don't mean to hurt other people, but it never works! People still feel hurt, other people get harmed, and it's all…just…STUPID!" I wiped at my eyes furiously and spat out, "You two are both idiots. You guys are just so caught up with your own thoughts, you can't even think about how bad it must feel for others…"

Peeta took in a sharp intake of breath and wrapped his arms around my body. I struggled against him, angry for any action that he took including touching me.

"I…hate you!" I yelled but Peeta held me closer. I closed my eyes, trying not to let the tears flow out, but they did, anyway.

"Why can't everything be right?" I whimpered and rested my head against his shirt.

Peeta held me tight and raised my chin so that I would be looking into his eyes. "Katniss, I'm sorry." He whispered. "I know that's not what you want to hear, but you're going to have to bear with me on this, okay?"

And just like that, Peeta leaned in towards me and I closed my eyes.

His lips touched mine, and we were kissing, just like before.

I sighed and wrapped my hands around his neck and allowed him to just lead me through the kiss.

When we opened our eyes, Kaden was standing in front of his car, smirking at the two of us. I blushed and pulled away from Peeta. He gave me a small smile and said, "See you soon, Katniss."

He walked towards his brother and I watched them drive away. I stood there, completely awestruck and then leaned against the house wall again, letting out another sigh.

Then, I smiled to myself.

That smile turned into a giggle, and that giggle turned into a glorious, happy laugh that I hadn't had since…a while.

"So, this is what it feels like." I marveled to myself, still feeling the fireworks in my chest.

I giggled to myself again and walked into my house.

"What happened out there?" Prim asked me curiously as I walked into my room.

"Oh, you know, big people stuff." I said breathily and laid myself out on my bed. Prim scowled at me and said, "I have a boyfriend, I should know about 'big people stuff'."

I grinned at her and then said happily, "Prim, you'll know if Rory is the good guy for you…when you kiss him."

Prim's eyes turned as wide as saucers and she crept closer to me.

"Who did you kiss?" She asked. I grinned and whispered, "Peeta."

Prim's eyes began shining and she asks, "Didn't you already kiss him?" I nodded silently and said, "But when you kiss a second time…well, you actually begin to register in your head…that you like him…a lot…" Prim sighed and clutched a pillow to her chest.

"Tell me more." She whispers.

I sat up and started, "When the right guy kisses you, you feel like you know of nothing else in the world…it's just you and him…a bouncy, bubbly feeling just fills you, and suddenly, the entire world is just…_magical_."

Prim sighed. "I wonder if it'll be like that with Rory." She says happily. I smiled dreamily. "And not to mention the _fireworks._" I say. Prim's eyes grew wider than ever and asked, "Fireworks?"

I nodded. "Fireworks happen everywhere after you guys kiss…just…everywhere." I say softly. Prim sighed again.

"You are so lucky, Katniss." She says and I nodded, not registering half of the words.

I was still in fairy tale land.

•◊•

"Katniss?" Gale asks me as we walked to school.

"Yes?" I respond.

"How many times have you kissed Peeta?"

His question stopped me dead in my tracks and I turned around slowly to him.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, my heart thudding in my chest. Gale scowled at me.

"Quit lying, I saw you two making out last night." He says bitterly as he walks in front of me. I bit my lip and then snapped, "Why do you care? Besides, you said that you would stop liking me, anyways."

Gale turned around and glared at me, his eyes flashing. "But does that mean that I'm going to stop liking you like THAT?" He snapped his fingers. "It's hard!" He protested and stomped away a bit faster.

"Gale, wait up!" I yelled and ran up to him. "Gale, I've only kissed him twice, and-"

"You kissed him TWICE?" Gale shouted, his voice echoing down the road. I winced and argued, "You were the one who wanted to know in the first place!"

Gale wrung his hands and his scowl deepened. "I can't believe this." He muttered and kept walking. "Gale, come on!" I say. "You knew that something like this might happen!"

Gale turned around to me and I flinched when I saw that his eye were slightly red and were actually brimming with tears.

"Gale." I whispered and reached my hand up to touch his face. He allowed my fingers to creep up to his face and he closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry." I said softly and tiptoed up, my heart pounding.

Something was telling me that this was going to be so _wrong_, but all the same, it felt so _right_.

I took in a deep breath and pressed my lips against his, just as Peeta had done with mine.

I could almost hear Gale's heartbeat. He held me close and I closed my eyes. I ran my fingers through his hair and let myself fall into the kiss.

I smiled to myself. This really was just as magical as the kiss with Peeta, but all the same, I felt guilt hammering through my heart.

When Gale and I finally broke apart, I was thinking a billion thoughts at once, but I only focused on one.

'What the hell had I just done?'

**A/N: So what did you think? Please review! ;) ;) **


	17. Chapter 17

**Hello peoples! I have exciting news-ish, sorta, or an announcement: THIS IS THE LONGEST STORY I HAVE EVER WRITTEN! I'm still planning on making more chapters, so hang on. :) I never thought that this story would really make it this far, but there is just TOO MUCH DRAMA to get through, ya know? ;) I know that yesterday, I was pretty evil to some of you guys, for making Katniss kiss Gale but...again, I love torturing my characters.**

**Katniss: I am never going to forgive you for that.**

**Me: Shut up, I'm in charge.**

**Katniss: Oh, really? I could kill you RIGHT NOW if I had a weapon in my hands.**

**Me: *rolls eyes* Only, no one uses bows and arrows that much anymore so sorry, you're out of luck.**

**Katniss: I hate you.**

**Me: *smiling sweetly* doesn't everyone?**

**Another announcement: So sorry for this, but I'm going to be slowing down my updates to only updating once a week, probably on Fridays and/or Saturdays. :( Something came up to slow my writing down and it made me freaking MAD but I didn't have any power over it. :(So, yeah. Poodoo...! But anyways, read on!**

Chapter 17.

Gale—

I couldn't stop grinning like a fool when we walked into homeroom.

Katniss shot me a glance and smiled quizzically. "You're not mad at me, are you?" She asks timidly and I shook my head.

"Why would I be mad?" I asked.

Katniss sucked in a breath and turned back around. She muttered, "That's what I thought." Before I had any time to register this, the class started and we were sent to begin working and taking notes on what to expect later this month.

"What's going on?" I asked Katniss, trying unsuccessfully to hide my smile.

I was surprised when Katniss gave me a cold glare and hissed, "You know very well what's 'going on'." I flinched and then said, "If it's about what happened earlier today, I didn't do it first! You did!"

Katniss narrowed her eyes at me and then murmured, "That's the only way to get you to shut up!"

Ouch.

I winced at the comment as well as Katniss. Her expression softened and she whispered, "I'm sorry." I raised my hand and hissed back at her, "Who cares, right? But the next time you want me to shut up, you tell me to!"

I turned back around to face the board and didn't bother looking at her until the end of class.

•◊•

"Of course she's like this." I mumbled underneath my breath when we walked to our lockers.

"First she tells me that she likes Peeta, and then she kisses me, and then she gets mad at _me_ because of her own actions…who the hell does she think she is?"

"Gale?"

I jumped and turned around. Glimmer was raising an eyebrow at me and then smirked.

"You're talking to yourself." She says. "That's either a sign of madness or genius, you know." I smirked back at her and said, "Let's just say that I'm trying to avoid both madness and genius…both are stupid."

Glimmer smiled and shrugged. "If you want to mumble angrily to yourself again, do it quieter. Half of the hallway can probably hear you." She says softly and this time I gave her a real smile.

"Thanks for the tip." I say, grinning and rolled my eyes.

Glimmer raised a shoulder and her regular smirk crossed her lips again.

"By the way, don't worry about Katniss. She'll come around." She says and flipped her hair casually. I felt my face burn and stammered out, "You heard that?"

Glimmer nodded. "I _did _tell you that everyone could hear you." She says sweetly and I had the decency to give her an embarrassed yet apologetic smile.

"It's going to be tough, though." Glimmer says thoughtfully, tapping her chin. "Katniss is usually pretty firm about keeping her friends."

We both froze, realizing that she had just hit a sore subject.

Glimmer flushed and she mumbled, "Well, nice seeing you around, Gale."

She walked off awkwardly and I sighed, turning back to my locker.

•◊•

"Do you have a date yet to the Halloween dance?" I asked Katniss when we walked into the cafeteria.

I saw Katniss visibly stiffen and she mumbled, "Not yet." I swallowed and felt nervousness creeping up to me.

"Katniss, I've been wondering, and I was hoping that you would go to the dance with me?" I stammered out.

Katniss' mouth dropped open and she quickly shut it. "Wait…say that again?" She whispered slowly.

I repeated my question and Katniss bit her lip.

"Gale…I'm flattered…but…well, I don't really…I don't know…I'll…get back to you on that." She says breathlessly and ran off to join the lunch line.

I cocked my head in her direction and was taken aback, a little stung by her sudden outburst.

I shook my head and scuffed my shoes on the floor as I walked over to her.

"If it was Peeta asking you, you would have said yes right away." I hissed in her ear but Katniss didn't respond. "Fine, if you don't want to go with me, then you can just say so." I said coldly and turned back around.

Katniss sighed and she glared at me, her eyes flashing. "Look, I have no idea what your problem is, but I said that I'm THINKING about it! So, give me some time, will you?"  
I felt a flicker of hope blooming in my chest but just as quickly as it came, it left and I snarled at her, "Right, because we all know how much I love to wait."

Katniss glared at me harder and said, "You are so typical!" I flung up my hands and my voice grew a notch higher.

"You're the one giving me mixed signals here!" I growled at her. "First, you kiss me, and then you're mad at me, and when I ask you to the freaking DANCE, you begin acting like it's the end of the world!"

Katniss raised an eyebrow and put her hands on her hips. "I am NOT acting like it's the end of the world! That's all in your MIND!" She screamed and the entire cafeteria went quiet. Every head turned to us and we both turned a bright red color.

"Is everything okay?" A lunch mentor asks us, her face lined with worry.

"Everything is fine, thank you very much." Katniss says stiffly and the cafeteria went back to its normal chatter.

"Look, I told you that I'm thinking about it, so don't bother me." Katniss says in a low voice. I glared at her to warn her that this wasn't just over, but we turned our attention away from the topic anyways just to avoid having more people pointing fingers at us.

Cold air was being exchanged between Katniss and me when we sat down at our table. Peeta, of course, was already waiting.

"What are you even DOING here?" I growled at him and Peeta startled. "Gale, as I have said for about the ten millionth time by now, STOP BEING RUDE." Katniss says angrily.

I shrugged and rolled my eyes at her, knowing that I was getting on her nerves. "I'm not being rude, I'm being observant." I say coldly and turned to my lunch.

"Sorry about him, Peeta, he's being a big pain in the butt and he knows it." Katniss says loudly so that I could hear.

I scowled at her and Peeta looked at the two of us nervously. "That's fine…I thought that something weird was going on, anyways." He says blandly and fidgeted with his fingers.

I deliberately began shooting glares at Peeta whenever he began talking with Katniss.

He finally let out a breath and then stood up. Katniss watched his movements and then he pressed his lips into a tight smile. "You guys need to talk about something." He says. "So I'll go first."

He walked out of the cafeteria with his head bent low and Katniss' eyes widened. She stood up, ready to run after him but before she left, she says, "I hope you're happy now, Gale."

With that, she ran after him, leaving me alone.

•◊•

"So will you be going to the dance with me?" I ask as we walked home, but Katniss didn't respond.

Her eyes were looking forward, not glancing at me, not blinking or anything.

I turned to her and said, "Please, Katniss?" Katniss glared at me and then whispered, "I'm going to the dance with you, so don't push your luck."

I felt my mouth split into a grin and I whispered goofily back to her, "Why didn't you just say so? You could have just told me…"

Before I knew what was properly going on, Katniss had socked me in the stomach and had me on the ground, putting her foot on my neck.

"Can it, Gale." She says harshly and took her foot off my neck. I sat up, dumbstruck and then dusted myself off.

"What was that for?" I asked indignantly but Katniss didn't reply. "Katniss, are you actually mad at me now?" I say, running up to her. "I mean, I knew that you were pissed off at me before, but why are you still so ticked off at me even after you said that you would go to the dance with me?"

"Peeta asked me to the dance, okay?" She shouted, turning around.

I stopped, frozen in my tracks. "Wait, Peeta asked you? When?" I asked.

Katniss had tears stinging in her eyes when she spat out, "When I ran after him, you moron! He asked me to the dance and I said no because you already asked me! I felt bad for you, but you know what Peeta did? He said that was okay with him, he didn't throw a fit and begin acting like a little girl like you did!"

She wiped at her eyes furiously and shouted, "So quit being annoying and shut up already!" She stomped to her house and slammed the door in my face.

I stood there, startled and bit my lip.

I shook my head and opened the door with the spare key from under the welcome mat. "Hi, Mrs. Everdeen." I say breathlessly when I walked in.

Katniss' mother was looking at me with raised eyebrows and wordlessly pointed upstairs, where I could hear Katniss stomping around.

"Right, thanks, Mrs. E." I say and walked up the stairs. I found her room and tapped at the door. "Katniss, open up." I whispered. "Why should I?" Katniss' angry voice hissed at me through the wood.

"Because you're my friend." I replied. There was a short pause and I could almost hear Katniss thinking. "Please, Katniss, just…open up, okay?" I whispered.

"You do realize that how you acted was totally horrible and that I'm not ever going to forgive you for that, right?" Katniss says, but her voice was a little calmer. I hung my head and sighed.

'Here we go again.' I think to myself but managed to say, "Yeah, I know."

Katniss opened the door and I smirked at her. I walked into her room and plopped down on her bed. "Come on, let's hear it, before you begin chopping me up in the blender and making little voodoo dolls of me." I say. Katniss narrowed her eyes.

"I never made voodoo dolls of you before." She says and sat down next to me. I shrugged. "Sometimes I think you make voodoo dolls. You're creepy that way." Katniss rolled her eyes and punched my shoulder.

I began laughing and said, "I'm sorry, you know. I guess I really was acting like a big jerk." Katniss raised an eyebrow. "You think?" She asks me haughtily and I sighed. "It's just…I don't really want to hurt anyone's feelings." She says after a while.

"I really think you're a great guy…but Peeta is well…" She bit her lip and looked down at her hands. I felt ice freeze my blood and stood up.

"Katniss, I don't want any more trouble. You know what? If you really like Peeta, then…just do what you want to do. You don't need people choosing who you like." I said softly and walked out of her bedroom before I could lose it.

**A/N: So what did you think? please review, just no hater comments! Thanks!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hi peoples! So, I know that I said that I was only going to update once a week from now on, but I decided that I'm actually going to update every few days...you know, just to slow down the updating from the ending of the story where we all, *sniff* have to say goodbye. :( BUT LET US NOT THINK ABOUT THAT! :) Anyways, thank you so much for the reviews and such, it meant a lot to me. It's great to hear from people who really support my writing...it just...means a hell lot to me. :) :) So...yeah. I love you guys, I really do. :) It's so awesome to know that, hey, I might not be that popular and happy when I'm away from writing, but every freaking time I log on, I get really super happy 'cause there are so many fellow writers here...I know, that sentence was just sooooooooooooo cheesy, but sometimes cheesiness is a good thing. :) :) *mouse* ON that note, read on, and thank you soooo much!**

Chapter 18.

Peeta—

"Think fast!"

A basketball flew in my direction and hit me square on the chest.

I immediately doubled over, scowling at Kaden. "What was that for?" I growled, righting myself back up. "I told you to think fast." Kaden says easily, picking up the ball.

"Thanks a lot." I said gruffly and walked towards my room. Kaden frowned and followed me in.

"Peeta, what's the matter?" He asks as I sat down at my desk. "Nothing." I replied shortly and started up my computer.

"Come on, Peeta, I know when something is ticking you off or not. Tell me what's the matter." Kaden says.

I turned around and scowled. "You're not going to leave me alone until I tell you, right?" Kaden nodded. "That's about right." He replied.

I sighed and muttered, "I asked Katniss to the school dance." Kaden's eyebrow rose and he grinned. "That's GOOD news, squirt!" He says, laughing but I raised a hand to stop him.

"She said no." I said flatly. Kaden stopped laughing at once and asked, "Why?" I chewed the insides of my cheek and muttered, "Gale already asked her and she already said yes."

Kaden stood up and he cocked his head. "Wait, didn't you say that Katniss only thought of Gale as a FRIEND?" He asks, confused. I nodded. "Then…why would Katniss be going with him?" Kaden asked me. I shrugged. "I think she felt…bad for him." I said and rolled my shoulders forward into a slump. Kaden frowned and blew air out of his mouth. "Well, that wasn't exactly smart of Katniss to do." He said thoughtfully and I looked up sharply.

"Why would you say that?" I asked. Kaden bit his lip. "If you think about it, what Katniss is doing isn't exactly helping Gale, it's giving him hope. The more she does things like this, the more Gale is going to like her…and in the end, it's going to blow up in both of their faces."

I stood up, mulling it over. "She didn't do that on purpose, though." I said slowly. "She doesn't know what she is doing. I mean, she must be really confused right now and I can't blame her." Kaden shrugged. "You might not be able to blame her, but what about Gale? I'm telling you this now, Peeta, but this is NOT going to look pretty afterwards."

I snorted and turned back to my computer.

"No freaking DUH, Kaden." I muttered.

•◊•

"Just a couple more days until the Halloween Dance!" Mrs. Birch announced when I walked into homeroom.

I grimaced and took my seat next to Katniss. She was looking over at me nervously, as though I was going to slap her any second.

"What's up?" I asked her lightly, hoping to make her feel more comfortable. Katniss twiddled with her thumbs and whispered, "Are you mad at me?" I made a face. "Why would I be mad at you?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Katniss shrugged. "Maybe because…I said no to you…?" She says softly and I felt as though she punched me in the chest. Right then, she had just gotten straight to the point.

"Well, I'm not MAD at you…more like, a little…disappointed, I guess." I murmured and Katniss sighed. "Peeta, I'm really sorry." She says. "I just…I don't know what to DO." I squeezed her hand. "It's okay. I mean, it's not like this will be the only dance for us. There will be more times for us to…be…you know, together…" I cleared my throat and let go of her hand, my face turning red. "That sounded so lame." I muttered and Katniss giggled.

"You think, Sherlock?" She asks me through her laughs and I smirked at her. "Hey, we can still have fun at the dance." I whispered. Katniss' eyes sparkled. "Peeta Mellark, you are officially the best boyfriend in the history of boyfriends." She says softly and my eyes widened. "You think of me as a boyfriend?" I asked and Katniss turned pink.

"What? I didn't say boyfriend, I said 'guy friend'. There's a difference!" She says indignantly and I narrowed my eyes at her playfully. "You said boyfriend." I say and Katniss blushed even more. "I did NOT." She says and gave me a teasing shove.

I grinned. "You said boyfriend." I said in a sing-song voice while Katniss burst into a fit of laughter. I smiled widely at her as class started.

Even though I might not be going to the dance with Katniss, we can still have fun, and I believed in that.

Besides, what could go wrong?

•◊•

"Are you going to wear something special?" I heard Glimmer ask Katniss while we were at the lockers. Katniss shrugged. "I'm thinking of just taking one of my old dresses and just wearing that to the party." She says wistfully.

Glimmer shook her head. "No, silly, you gotta wear something NEW and FRESH. You can't just be wearing something 'out of the closet'." Katniss rolled her eyes. "It's just a dance, Glimmer, not a wedding."

Glimmer narrowed her eyes dramatically and said, "Is it JUST a dance? Katniss, this might be the dance where you can find your Prince Charming!"

Katniss turned red at this and she asked quickly, "What do you mean?" Glimmer shrugged. "Oh, people have been asking you left and right to be your 'escort' to the dance, right?" She says mischievously and I buried my head in my locker, hoping for God's sake that Glimmer wouldn't notice me.

However, my head ended up hitting the locker door with a louder THUNKing noise than I had hoped for. Glimmer turned over to me as I rubbed my head, wincing. "Peeta!" She trills and she drags Katniss over to me.

"Would you rather see a Katniss Everdeen with a drab, colorless dress to the dance or a beautiful, dazzling, trendy, GORGEOUS dress to the dance?" She asks me. I looked over at Katniss, whose face was turning into a deeper shade of red. "Glimmer, you can't ask Peeta that…" She mumbled but Glimmer shushed her. "We need a guy's opinion!" She shrieks and turns over to me again.

"Erm…" I stuffed my hands in my pockets and mumbled, "Why do I have to answer that question again?" Glimmer sighed, exasperated and said, "It's because we NEED for Katniss to look absolutely STUNNING for the dance!" I rubbed my hand at the back of my neck and managed to mutter, "Katniss would look good in both, I guess."

Katniss looked up at me, a small smile tugging at her lips while Glimmer cocked her head. "Well, yes, Katniss would look good in both, and she definitely has the beauty patted down but hey, we girls need to get a little crazy once in a while." She says cheerfully. Katniss snorted. "'Once in a while'?" She asks incredulously but Glimmer waved the comment off.

"Peeta, you will be coming with us to get Katniss into the most fantastic dress after school today." She says matter-of-factly and I gawked at her. "Wait…what?" I asked, my face burning. Katniss' eyes widened. "Glimmer, what are you TALKING about?" She asks weakly.

Glimmer shrugged. "Again, I told you that we need a guy's opinion." She says cheerfully. Katniss shook her head and asked, "Can't we bring someone else?" Glimmer narrowed her eyes. "Who, like Gale?" She asks and Katniss and I both stiffened. Glimmer talked on, oblivious to the sudden awkward silence between us.

"Katniss, you can't be wearing your dress in front of Gale, because first of all, he's your date to the dance, and secondly, because…well, he'll be agreeing that you look pretty in everything. No, we need a hard, down-to-earth guy who's willing to speak the TRUTH!" Glimmer pumped her fist in the air while Katniss and I just gaped at the sight.

"'Down-to-earth?'" I mused and Glimmer nodded enthusiastically like some sort of bobble-head. "'A hard guy'?" Katniss snickered and I wiggled my eyebrows at her. Glimmer nodded again.

That set it off for the both of us.

Katniss and I burst out laughing, as in literally gasping for breath, thinking about the idea. Glimmer raised an eyebrow and gave us a half-hearted smile. "Am I missing out on something here?" She asks, scratching her blond head.

Katniss shook her head and slung an arm over Glimmer's shoulder. "It's nothing, Glimmer." She said cheerfully and they walked off together.

•◊•

"Katniss, you've been in there for years! Just come out already!" Glimmer whined.

I rolled my eyes at her.

We've been in the mall for about two hours now, and I've even finished all of my homework. It was a little awkward at first, since I was surrounded by girly dresses and other girly clothes, (yes, underwear included…I am officially scarred,) but being with Katniss was worth it.

"Glimmer…I don't really think this is my type." Katniss' small voice said from inside the dressing room but Glimmer rolled her eyes. "It can't be THAT bad. Come out here!" She says.

I heard Katniss take in a deep breath and she stepped out.

I let my mouth drop open and I quickly shut it. Glimmer raised an eyebrow and now I could see why Katniss was so embarrassed.

"Well…it's certainly…revealing." I managed to say and Katniss nodded gratefully. Glimmer winced and I turned to her. "How the hell did you choose that dress?" I asked, glaring. Glimmer shrugged. "It didn't look that bad when I picked it out." She replied.

Katniss' dress was a light blue color made out of silk, but that was where the innocence stopped. The dress had a dangerously low V-neck, I think it's called, and the back was entirely bare…The dress hugged the parts that were NOT MEANT TO BE HUGGED and I could already see the disaster that might come upon Katniss if she wore that dress.

Glimmer looked at my dreaded expression and she sighed, disgusted. "Don't be so dramatic, Peeta." She says teasingly and pushed Katniss into the dressing room once more.

I sighed and leaned my head back. "How much longer?" I moaned to Glimmer and she stuck a tongue out at me. "Just a little longer." She says reassuringly and I moaned again.

I heard some shuffling in the dressing room and Katniss finally stepped out.

I looked at her and my mouth dropped again, but only this time…in a good way. I shut my mouth and stared at her.

Katniss was blushing and she clasped her hands behind her back.

She was wearing a bright red dress with clusters of sequins sewn onto it. There was one delicate strap hanging over her shoulder and when she twirled around, I could see the glittering and sparkling fabric surround her like some sort of flame.

"That's the one." Glimmer says in awe. Katniss smiled nervously. "You think so?" She whispered. Glimmer nodded frantically and she turned to me. "What do you think, Peeta?" Glimmer asks pleasantly and I swallowed.

"It looks…great." I managed to say. Glimmer raised an eyebrow and she says, "There's more…come on, say it."

I swallowed again and whispered, "Katniss…you look beautiful." Katniss turned pink and she gave me a shy smile. "Thanks." She whispered and Glimmer sighed. "There it is!" She says, contented and stood up. "I'll pay for it." She offered and the two girls burst into a giggling fit before Katniss walked into the dressing room.

•◊•

"The next time Glimmer drags me to go shopping; I'm going to give her a restraining order." Katniss says, putting a hand over her forehead, exhausted. I smirked as I walked her home.

"Well, Glimmer did get you a nice dress." I offered and Katniss smiled. "I thought you were going to die when we passed the underwear section." She says teasingly and I felt a flush creeping at my neck. "It was kind of gross when Glimmer began holding up bras for me to decide which ones were 'sexy' or not." I muttered and Katniss began laughing.

"That WAS pretty awkward, even for me…and I'm a girl!" She said, giggling. I grimaced, but couldn't help but to smile anyway.

"Thanks, though." Katniss said. "It means a lot to me that you actually would go through all that trouble for me." I shrugged and grinned. "For you, it's worth it." I said softly and Katniss grinned. She stood on the tips of her toes and kissed me on the cheek.

"Thanks, Peeta." She whispered and walked back into her house.

I grinned after her and sighed.

Yep, I couldn't wait for the dance.

**A/N: So...what did you think of the chapter? (Sorry for those of you who are Gale x Katniss fans...I know that you guys must be thinking along the lines of..."NO! HOW COULD YOU TORTURE ME LIKE DIS?!" Sorry...*winces*) Please review, I'm excited to know what you guys think of it. NO HATER COMMENTS, PLEASE! Thanks! :) **


	19. Chapter 19

**This is it, peoples. The last chapter. :( *begins crying silently* Thank you so much for all of the support you guys gave me, it really means SO SO SO SO SO MUCH to me. :) I really will never forget how much people reviewed, followed, and faved my story...it's incredible. :) So thank you so much. Quick announcement: For those of you who were Gale x Katniss fans, don't be so pissed off at me...to tell you the truth, I was considering to write this as a Gale x Katniss story while I was writing this in the middle-ish of the story.**

**Gale: I'm gonna kill you.**

**Me: Shut up.**

**Gale: Why would you DO THIS?!**

**Me: 'Cause I'm evil. I know. **

**Gale: *snorts* No kidding. I swear, you're more evil than Snow sometimes.**

**Me: *rolls eyes* what was your first clue?**

**Gale: The fact that you wrote this STORY. **

**Me: *puts hand on chin* Eh, I guess so. Now, shut up and go back to being in the story, ya moron! ;P**

**Gale: HOW DARE YOU-**

**Me: GOOD BYE, GALE! *runs away***

**Yes peoples, it is perfectly normal for me to be talking to my own characters. ;D Anyways, so sorry Gale x Katniss fans, please don't hate me...! But thanks for the support, all the same. I LOVE YOU GUYS! :) **

Chapter 19.

Katniss—

"Ooh…that's a pretty dress!" Prim squeals when I walked into my room. I nodded, twirling it around. Feeling childish and girly, I began humming stupid, sugary songs under my breath.

"So…who's gonna be your prince at the dance, Katniss?" Prim asks me and my good mood automatically faded away.

I listlessly put down my dress and sat down next to Prim. "I don't know…" I said slowly and Prim raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were going with Gale." She says. I nodded meekly.

"But…you don't want to?" Prim asks and I nodded again, feeling guilt creep up my heart. "Prim, I think I'm doing something wrong." I muttered. Prim crossed her arms. "You think?" She asks. "Come on, Katniss, I know that you feel bad for Gale and everything, but you need to know what YOU want."

"There will be other dances." I said defensively but Prim shook her head. "If you keep Gale hanging like that, he'll think that you LIKE him." She said and I bit my lip. "I don't know what to do!" I cried and Prim leaned against the bedframe.

"Katniss, Gale will understand. I'm sure he saw this coming." She says softly. I looked up at her. "What can I do?" I whimpered. Prim put her hands on her hips. "You can march right over there and tell Gale that you can't go to the dance with him. Go on, do it." She said firmly and shoved me out of my room and marched me down the stairs.

She opened the front door and pushed me out. "Prim…" I say pleadingly but Prim shook her head. "Katniss, do it!" She said and closed the door.

I sighed and turned back around.

I walked down the porch and headed over to Gale's house. I held my breath, my hand hovering over the doorbell. I bit my lip and closed my eyes.

'I'm so sorry, Gale.' I think sadly and rang the doorbell.

Gale opened the door and he took one look on my face and his smile melted.

I sat down on the porch and he sat down next to me.

"So…you want to talk?" Gale whispered and I nodded. "Gale…I don't want to hurt your feelings." I started off and Gale smirked. "Too late for that." He muttered.

I smiled guiltily and mumbled, "I…don't want to go to the dance with you…I just figured that it's a little…unfair to you…because…I don't…like you…I just want to remain as friends." Gale nodded slowly and he stood up.

"I kind of saw that coming." He said carelessly and shrugged. I raised an eyebrow. "You're not upset about it?" I whispered.

Gale sighed. "Katniss, I told you this once before—you choose what you want, okay? As long as you're happy…I'll be happy, too." He smiled at me and walked into his house.

I sat there, very still and then a disbelieved smile crossed my face.

"Huh." I whisper and looked at the door.

I shook my head, laughing. "Gale Hawthorne, you never fail to surprise me."

•◊•

"So you're going with Peeta?" Gale asks me and I gave him a sheepish smile. "Is it really that obvious?" I asked. Gale shrugged. "I don't mind. Or at least, I've come to the point where I don't wanna kill him anymore." He says.

I laughed and grinned up at him. "Thanks, Gale. It means a lot to me." I said. Gale put an arm around my shoulders. "That's what friends do, right?" He says cheerfully and I rolled my eyes. "Well, friends don't usually ask each other out at the Halloween dance…" I say but Gale punched me playfully on the arm. "But I know what you mean." I admitted.

Gale began laughing. I looked over to him. "Are you sure you're okay?" I whispered. Gale sighed and then let go of me. He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I'll be fine." Gale says slowly. "As long as you're happy, then I'll try my best to be happy, too."

I nodded slowly and we walked into the school building.

•◊•

"So…you're going to the dance with me?" Peeta asks, disbelieved. I nodded enthusiastically.

We were sitting together at lunch, and Peeta was having a hard time believing that Gale was actually saying that he's not going to the dance with me.

Gale shrugged and took a bite of his sandwich. "Whatever, man, I don't care anymore." He says and Peeta's face flushed pink. "I'm just really surprised." He says and smirked.

Gale shrugged again. Then, Peeta smiled. "Thanks, though." He said softly. Gale gave him a terse nod and went back to eating his lunch.

I managed to give Peeta a small smile.

Things were beginning to work out, after all.

•◊•

"So, you excited?" Glimmer asks me when she burst through my bedroom door.

I put down my book, startled and she grinned, holding up a bag that was no doubt filled with beauty products of the sort.

"Glimmer…?" I gestured to her bag. "Do we really need all of this?"

Glimmer shrugged and grabbed my hand. She dragged me into my bathroom and sat me down on a seat in front of the mirror.

"Katniss, this is the very first dance of high school we're talking about. Don't you think you can show a little more of your girly self to the world on this particular day?" Glimmer wheedled and she began brushing my hair into a ponytail.

"Well…" I started but that was all Glimmer needed for her to get right onto dabbling herself with the makeup.

"First step, wash your face!" Glimmer ordered and splashed water onto my face. I yelped. "Glimmer!" I yelled but she giggled.

"Come on, silly!" She says. I grumbled as I washed myself.

A half an hour later, Glimmer was still working on my features. We had spent an entire twenty minutes just deciding my lip gloss color!

"Come on, try for a daring red!" Glimmer had said but I shook my head. "I don't really need lip gloss." I mumbled but Glimmer shook her head. I held up natural beige looking color.

"Can we try for this?" I asked. "No one can tell if I'm wearing lip gloss or not." Glimmer rolled her eyes and plucked it out of my hand. "That's not the point!" She says and picked up the red color. "Come on, it'll compliment your skin tone, and it goes perfectly with your dress!"

I sighed and allowed Glimmer to slick some onto me.

"I feel like a stupid Barbie doll." I muttered. Glimmer smiled but didn't say anything. She began brushing eye shadow over my eyelids and I felt the smooth bristles of another brush touch my cheek.

Glimmer finally sighed and whispered, "Open your eyes, Katniss."

I gulped and braced myself. I cracked open one eye and then the other.

I gasped and with wide-eyes, looked at myself in the mirror. "See? Viola, the magic of make overs." Glimmer says smugly.

I didn't like having make up on or looking girly, but Glimmer was right…she had transformed me into a radiant, stunning creature.

Maybe that was exaggerating, but I couldn't help but to gaze at my reflection in awe.

"Glimmer…you are a miracle worker." I said breathlessly. Glimmer spun the lip gloss stick in the air like a baton, satisfied with her work.

Afterwards, she did her own make up, since we both knew that I didn't know a single thing about beauty products.

We began to change into our dresses, both of us whirling around and giggling like little girls. Prim walked into my room and her mouth dropped open in awe.

"You guys look great!" She says and raised a camera to snap a picture of us.

"Thanks, Prim." I say, swooping down to give her a kiss on the cheek. Prim smiled and we floated down the stairs.

Glimmer and I drank in each other's appearances. "You look gorgeous." Glimmer says warmly. "So do you." I tell her.

It was true. Glimmer had a lean figure, and was very tall for her age.

Her golden hair was put up in an elegant bun and her dress was a light, golden color that sparkled and shimmered. It fit her perfectly, and I had to admit that we both looked amazing.

"Is this supposed to be a Halloween dance or a princess dance?" Prim asked teasingly and we all began laughing.

We heard the doorbell ring and I exchanged excited looks with Glimmer.

I opened the door and smiled as Peeta stepped into the house, Gale quickly following him.

"The chariot awaits." Peeta says teasingly and held my hand. I sighed and leaned my head against his shoulder.

We climbed into the car and we spent the entire ride laughing our heads off about having me wear a dress for once.

As soon as we got to the school, we leapt off and headed our way into the gymnasium, where we could hear the music blaring.

I smiled and we all ran in.

I just want to say it now—but I never thought that Gale could actually have fun dancing…or flirting, to tell you the truth.

You got that right, folks.

When I turned around at one point to see if Gale was doing okay, I was surprised and a little happy to see that Gale was surrounded by girls who all wanted to have a chance to dance with him on the floor. I turned to see Glimmer, who didn't have a date to the dance, was now talking and laughing with Marvel.

I grinned evilly to myself. I was not going to leave her alone about that.

I caught sight of a couple of older kids, and found Finnick dancing with a brown-haired girl, who I recognized as Annie Cresta. I had heard that she had some sort of mental problem, and it struck me funny that he was dancing with her…but then I saw Finnick kissing Annie in a corner of the room and I knew that maybe sometimes, people fall in love with the most unexpected individual.

And as for me.

Peeta's arms wrapped around my waist and I relaxed my arms over his shoulders. We gently swayed to the music, thinking about all that had happened to us within a short amount of time.

Then it happened.

Peeta leaned in and so did I.

He whispered in my ear, "I love you Katniss." I felt my heart beating faster and then I whispered, "I love you too, Peeta."

He smiled at me and he pressed his lips against mine. I closed my eyes and sighed happily.

'This is it.' I thought giddily.

High school—what's greater than that?

**A/N: So what did you guys think of the ending? Please review! *sniff* I can't believe that's gonna be the last time for me to say that in this story...T_T but still, review!**

**Gale: *begins talking in a whisper-shout* She's eeeeeeeeeeeeevil...**

**Me: GALE! *begins chasing him around, whacking him with a book* GO AWAY! TA-TA, MY DEAR READERS! I LOVE YOU! KATIEROSEFUN OUT! Now, GALE GET BACK HERE! ;P **


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